I Can Teach You What It Means to Be Human
by RPG Girl
Summary: Darby befriends Ed & friends. She watches Envy when he's captured, slowly teaching him what it means to be a human. They help with the war fleeing afterwards to start a new life. However, things are cut short when a new threat is discovered- this one more deadlier than the last. Can they possibly defeat it or will it be the end? Story rewritten. New Plot Starts at Chapter 9. SemiAU
1. Guarding the Beast

**Author's Note:**

Hey, there! Welcome to my new rewrite of my story. While the plot remains the same, I've decided to get rid of the small amount of 'M' content (there's still lovey dovey stuff, it's just not in full detail) and try my hand at writing better stories. I've added in new details, wrote the parts about the past in **BOLD FONT,** fixed errors, and have shortened down the full story to a few chapters so we can get straight into the new storyline. I've been working hard to ensure this story remains true to its original self, but, also becomes better and is no longer rated M. I still have lovey-doviness in my story, but, felt that the rated M content was out of place.

I want to give a **HUGE **shoutout to **TheHiddenDreamer** for having remained a big fan of my story and being the cause for me to come back and write after things began getting tough in real life. It makes me happy to have such an awesome fan!

I would like to thank my other followers, favoriters, readers, and reviewers for giving me the strength to want to continue writing.

I hope you will enjoy my story!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, ITS CHARACTERS, OR ITS PLOT.**

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><p><strong>Envy had followed them into the snow-covered mountains to kill Doctor Marcoh, himself. As impatient as ever, he had decided to take matters in his own hands, not wanting to wait around for the others to finish their job. He was Envy, after all, and always managed to get things done without anyone else. So, killing Doctor Marcoh would be too easy.<strong>

**Unbeknownst to him, May and Al had set up traps underneath of the snow in hopes of capturing him by force or tricking him into surrendering. Using May's Alkahestry combined with Alphonse's Alchemy, the two of them were able to do some damage to Envy. However, things had taken a turn for the worse when he transformed into his giant version of his true form. A battle between him and Edward has ensued, ending with Envy surrendering before Edward damaged his Philosopher's Stone.**

**To keep him from escaping, Ed quickly made up a mock "box" in a nearby cave to seal him up. Scribbling in the dirt, Ed surrounded the cave with alchemic symbols to ensure he remained imprisoned. All things organic could enter the cave, but would be unable to leave unless freed by Edward.**

**A young woman had ended up meeting Edward and company, right after their battle. She had been searching for them for quite some time, wanting to help them in their cause, having heard rumors about their goals. All but Scar had welcomed her with open arms; the aforementioned man remaining suspicious of her.**

**Being new to the group, the girl needed a way to gain their trust. Unable to think of anything else, she had volunteered to take the position as watch-guard. If she watched over Envy and ensured he stayed captured, they were bound to trust her. **

**Just one thing threatened her plan and that was the fact that a blizzard was heading their way. Doctor Marcoh had predicted it was at least a day away, but, watching the sky, the girl could tell that the blizzard would be upon them at any moment. The clouds were sprinting across the sky- a sure sign that she was right. **

**Setting aside her worry over the blizzard, the girl escorted Envy to the cave. A malevolent air hung about him as he walked beside her leaving heavy footprints in the snow covered ground- an odd occurrence for such a slender man. The two of them walked in silence as small snowflakes began to drift through the air.**

**Once they had approached the cave, Envy hesitantly slipped through the seal. The girl watched as he shivered for a moment before returning to his quiet state. She situated herself upon the ground beside the entrance and looked up into the sky. Squinting, she watched the snowfall begin to thicken and awaited the coming storm.**

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><p>Not more than an hour had passed and the snow upon the ground was already thick enough to reach the girl's knees. Being on top of a mountain wasn't exactly a good idea when a blizzard was coming. A gust of cold air encircles her sending chills down her spine. She quickly huddles against the wall beside the cave entrance in hopes of gaining some warmth.<p>

"Looks like you're having a fun time." Envy says leaning beside the opening and watching the snow fall.

"I'm not leaving, no matter how cold it gets." she says, wrapping her arms around herself.

The town becomes hazy as the shower of snow comes down harder. The man watches snow build up upon the girl's head as she leans against the cave wall. Shivering, she quickly shakes the snow from her head only to have it replaced by more.

"How pathetic!" he laughs,"You can't stand the cold, can you?"

She rolls her eyes at him,"My name is Darby. _Not_ human. And, besides, it's winter time. You can't expect me not to be freezing out here."

Darby rubs her hands together for some warmth and goes back to looking out over the snow. Her eyes begin to water from the cold, causing little tears to form crystals upon her face. She wipes them off with the backside of her hand and continues watching the snowflakes fall.

"It sure is nice and cozy in here." Envy taunts, backing up and taking a seat upon the ground.

Rolling her eyes, the girl responds with slight annoyance,"You sure love annoying people, dontcha?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Envy chuckles, crossing his arms,"I enjoy watching you puny humans suffer."

"Humans?" the girl says, leaning into the entrance; eyeing him curiously,"Why do you talk like that? You're so weird."

"I'm a homunculus, idiot!" Envy says with an air of pride,"Don't try to bundle me in with the likes of you pathetic worms."

"I thought homunculii were just myths?" she says confused, getting up from her spot upon the wall.

Coming over to the entrance, she shakes off the snow and stares down at the man sitting upon the floor.

"Well, Darby, it looks like your little story is wrong." he says with a smug look.

"Are you always this annoying?" she says, rolling her eyes at the look upon his face.

Envy snickers,"I'm annoying _you_, twerp? Easy for someone so boring to say!"

A chill makes its way down her spine as another gust of cold wind blows against her. Wrapping her coat tightly, she continues staring at the prisoner.

"Who the hell you are, anyways?" He says, glaring at her,"If you're with the pip squeak, then I definitely don't like you!"

"I heard rumors about Ed and company, so, I joined them to help with their cause" she explains with a satisfying smile.

"Why would you want to join him?" Envy huffs,"Don't you want to kill the pip squeak? He's so annoying!"

"Unlike you, some of us see the good in his annoying personality." she chides, her arms crossed against her chest.

"Whatever." Envy says, shooing her away,"You bore me, human!"

"Well, _sor-ry_ I can't be of some entertainment." she shrugs,"Not like I really care- You're just as entertaining to me."

Envy snorts with laughter,"Oh? Really, now?"

With an evil smirk he takes a few steps backwards into the darkness of the cave. The girl squints to try to look at him, but fails. Noticing movement in the dark, she crosses her arms and waits for him to come back into view. A gasp escapes her mouth as Scar slowly steps out of the shadows and takes a stand in front of her; his hands upon his hips.

"W-wait a minute! How the hell did Scar get out here?" she says, eyeing the figure suspiciously.

"You humans are so stupid. You'll fall for anything." Scar laughs,"Don't you know anything about me? I'm a shape-shifter, you idiot!" The girl blinks in surprise as red sparks crackle up the figure of Scar. Envy's body begins to appear as the other form dissolves into a haze of red electricity. Standing there with a smirk, Envy waits for the girl's shock to subside. Shaking her head, Darby crosses her arms and smirks at him.

"Fine. I'll admit I find your shape shifting fascinating." she says,"But, your personality still irritates me."

"Like I care?" Envy barks returning to his seat upon the floor.

A rough gust of wind pushes at Darby, causing her to fall forward a little, almost stepping through the barrier. She quickly catches her footing and carefully huddles against the mouth of the entrance, afraid to touch the barrier for fear it'll disappear.

Envy laughs at her discomfort,"I take it back. You're entertaining when you're suffering."

"And, I'm just as entertained watching you rot in that cave." she snaps back.

"Ooh. Touchy, touchy!" Envy smirks,"Wonder how long it takes for a human to freeze to death?"

"Oh, shut up!" she barks, her teeth chattering wildly.

Closing her eyes and thinking about a warm fireplace complete with hot cocoa and a thick blanket, the girl smiles to herself in an attempt to block out the cold. But, despite her best efforts, the icy temperature had made it unbearable for her to concentrate for more than a few minutes. Noticing her discomfort, Envy smirks.

"You know- it's really warm in here." he teases,"If you let me out, you can take my place."

Opening her eyes, she gives him an icy look,"Can't you take a hint? I'm not letting you out!"

"Did I strike a nerve?" Envy grins, watching her grip her arms in anger.

"I'm not letting you out, so just forget about it." she snaps, the cold beginning to make her eyes droop.

Shaking her head to keep awake, Darby starts walking back and forth in front of the entrance. She watches a small wall beginning to build up around the cave. Knowing that eventually she'd be forced into the cave, she sighs; trying not to pay attention to the man inside. An uneasy feat as he persists on teasing her.

"Hey, human- You're awfully quiet out there. Are you dying?!" Envy chuckles, his eyes following her.

"No. I'm not _dying_ if you must know." she barks, snapping out of her thoughts,"It's just really cold out here.

The cold air hits her like tiny ice daggers, sending chills of pain throughout her body. Her pace starts to slow as her body stiffens from the cold. With numb fingers, she attempts to rub herself for warmth, but to no avail. Giving up her pacing, she slowly stomps in place, hoping for one last burst of warmth to comfort her.

"You know that you're going to die if you stay out there, right?" Envy shouts over the cry of the breeze.

Coming to a stop, Darby glances sideways at him,"What do you propose I do, then, genius?"_  
><em>

"Well, you have two choices. Stay out there and die or come in here where it's warm." Envy says, simply.

"And, what's it to you?" she says, suspicious at his change of mind,"I thought you wanted me to die?"

An evil smirk spreads across Envy's face,"Oh, I do. Gotta play with my prey, first."

"Of course." Darby says, rolling her eyes,"Well, whether I like it or not, I'm about to join you."

Taking a few deep breaths, she hesitates outside of the barrier. With eyes clenched tightly, she presses forward, slipping through the barrier and into the cave. Warmth instantly invades her bones, causing little goosebumps to cover her skin. Envy eyes her as she comes to a stop a few feet from him. She slowly opens her eyes and turns around, smiling when she sees the barrier still in place. Glad to be out of the snow, she begins dusting herself off.

"With a wide open entrance like this, I'm surprised you haven't gotten out yet." she says, picking flakes out of her hair.

"Yeah, well, you're a puny human. I wouldn't expect you to understand." Envy barks, laying backwards upon the ground.

"Just tryin' to make some conversation." Darby says uncomfortably,"Probably gonna be stuck in here for a while."

"Probably best if you just kept your mouth shut." Envy says, staring up at the ceiling,"I don't usually associate with humans."

Taking the hint, Darby walks past him towards the back of the cave. She waits for her eyes to adjust before taking a seat upon a small rock in the corner farthest from Envy. Crossing her legs upon the rock, she hugs herself for warmth and lays her head back upon the wall.

"I'm so glad to be out of the cold." she sighs, staring at the dark ceiling above her.

"Don't forget about your impending death, human." Envy growls, trying to kill their conversation.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Darby says sarcastically, smirking.

"Doesn't it bother you that you can be easily killed?" Envy jeers at her,"I mean, I could just touch you and you'd snap in half."

"Well, I'd rather be human than a homunculus." Darby shrugs.

"Why would you _want_ to be so pathetic?" Envy snorts, rising up from the floor.

"It beats having to be cruel and cold like you." She says,"I'd rather die and have a short life than live like you."

Envy gets up and walks over to her,"Is that so? I can kill you now, if you'd like?"

She shrugs at him, too scared to look him in the eyes.

"Go right ahead." she says nervously,"It's not like it would do you any good. I'm no one special so killing me is pointless."

Envy glares at her,"You wouldn't care if I killed you? What the hell?!"

She looks up at him and shrugs as he clenches his fists tightly.

"So, you wouldn't mind if I do this?!", he grabs her by the throat and picks her up, eyeing her viciously.

She struggles a little to get him off of her; gripping at his arms as gurgles make their way out of her throat.

Envy stares at her through squinted eyes as she hangs there gagging, barely struggling.

Irritated, he lets her fall to the floor, walking away,"You're so boring! Why won't you fight?"

Rubbing her throat, she returns to her seat, "Killing me would mean nothing to you. And, it's not like fighting back would do me any good."

The wind picks up outside, its cries echoing throughout the cave. Happy to be inside, Darby hardly notices the bits of cold air creeping in from the entrance.

"Looks like you're going to be stuck here for a while." Envy laughs,"Doesn't that just bother you?"

She shrugs at him, disinterested in starting another scuffle.

He walks over to her and stares down at her, "So, am I scarier now that you're close to me?"

"If you must know, you do scare me a little." she says,"You have this aura about you that I couldn't feel from outside."

Envy smirks, staring down at her as she nervously sits against the cave wall.

"But, it's not like I can't keep my composure or anything. You're more intimidating strength-wise, than scary." she shrugs.

"Eh- what do you know about strength, human?" he barks, crossing his arms.

"Well, physically, I'm not strong. But, all humans have some sort of spiritual strength." She explains smugly.

"Spiritual? Ha! I'll never understand you humans." he says annoyed.

"Yes, spiritual. The strength that is keeping me from fearing you." She explains with a smirk,"Taunt me all you want."

Envy laughs,"You think your spiritual strength can prevent you from fearing this?"

He transforms his arm into a green tentacle and swings it at the wall above her head. She ducks under it, but, remains in her same position.

"I'll admit that was creepy, but, I'd rather be in here than freeze to death." she says, her arms folded against her chest.

Envy laughs quietly to himself, sitting back down in his previous spot. Irritated, he stretches out his legs and flexes his muscles, trying to forget about the annoying human in the cave with him.

"Like it or not, you're stuck here with me." The girl says, staring out the cave entrance,"Until that storm dies down, I'm not going anywhere."

Envy rolls his eyes at her, doing a little whirligig with his finger,"Whoopee..."

The wind begins shifting the snow against the entrance, the magical barrier preventing the snow from falling. The two of them sit in complete silence as the blizzard becomes thicker; neither of them very aware of the wall of snow.

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><p><em>I chose the name Darby because it means "without Envy". I just found it to be a funny name.<em>

_I am well aware that some things in this story don't quite go with the series. I know that Envy is usually only rude and ferocious, that they trapped little green Envy, not normal Envy, and that most likely homonculii cannot have sex. I understand that a lot of the stuff in my story is ridiculous._

_It's a story for us Envy fans who got upset when Envy died, and especially for us fan girls who really find Envy quite hot. I never meant it to really go along with the story although it does sort of fit in. I wrote this to give us fans of Envy a new storyline involving Envy instead of having to reflect on why he had to die._

_I want to thank all you readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters out there who have stuck with me since I published this story. I shall continue taking your advice, reviews, and criticism to heart and will try my best to update this story and all my other stories more often._

_If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to PM me or review my story._

_Thanks!_

_-RPG Girl._


	2. Taming the Beast

**Thank you again, TheHiddenDreamer! I'm super happy that you've followed my story and helped me continue writing by messaging me encouraging messages. Hope you like this rewrite! :D And thank you, as well, to my other awesome readers. Without you guys, I wouldn't be as excited about writing.**

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><p>From her place upon the rock Darby stares at the entrance to the cave; watching the snow fall onto the built up ice. Sitting in the corner across from the girl, Envy grumbles as he watches the wall expand, his head sitting upon his knee. The noise brings her out of her trance and she eyes him curiously.<p>

His long black hair falls nicely around his face and shoulders giving him a slightly feminine appearance; its odd coloring, a mixture of green and black. She stops for a glance at his dark violet eyes, noticing hints of sadness. Frowning, she wonders if he could possibly be feeling any other emotions besides envy and hate. A sense of annoyance radiates from him and she quickly averts her eyes. A sheepish grin makes its way upon her face as she examines his torso, blushing at the sight of his abs. Her face burns as her thoughts turn perverted; her eyes making their way towards his lower abdomen. With a squeak of embarrassment, she removes her eyes and quickly turns towards the wall.

Envy notices her sudden movement, glaring over at her,"Something wrong?"

"Oh, uh- it's nothing!" the girl says nervously, her face searing as she feels his gaze upon her.

"Pfft! You humans are so weird!" he says, rolling his eyes.

"Why do you always say that? I don't understand what you find so weird about us." Darby says.

Holding up his hand and counting on his fingers, Envy says,"Let's see... your annoying questions. Your 'emotions'; your pathetic weaknesses..."

The girl rolls her eyes,"You say the same stuff every time. Seems like you've ran out of reasons for disliking us."

Ignoring her, Envy takes a stand and begins walking in circles around the cave, kicking up dirt as he goes. The girl follows him with her eyes, smirking.

"There has to be more reasons. Come on, Envy- you can tell me." Darby taunts.

Mumbling under his breath, Envy comes to a stop in front of her. He bends down and brings his face close to hers causing a blush to spread across her cheeks. Trying not to stare at his body, she brings her eyes up to look into his. A slight shiver runs through her body as she peers into his eyes, noticing an eerie red glow deep within them.

"Why are you so annoying?" he says, bringing his face within an inch of hers.

"Because, I'm human and that is how humans are?" she says with an impish grin.

A smirk plays upon Envy's face as he stares at her in silence, surprisingly saying nothing in response to her. The girl's pulse starts to beat rapidly as she stares back at him, wondering if he'll talk or make a move. He continues looking at her, watching her struggle to keep her composure. With a small laugh, he draws backwards; stretching his arms above him. The girl slightly flinches at his movement, having been put in a sort of trance while waiting for him to do something. Envy continues staring at the girl as he begins stretching his limbs. Regaining her composure, Darby shakily stands up and takes a stand before him.

Looking down at her, he flexes his neck roughly,"What do you want?"

"What is it like to be a homunculus?" she says, nervously looking up at him.

Snorting, Envy halts his stretches and crosses his arms against his chest, watching the girl rock back and forth upon her heels. As she awaits his answer, he contemplates her question before breaking out into laughter. Frowning, she watches as he slaps his knees, keeling over from his laughing fit.

"What's so funny?" she asks, crossing her arms.

Envy quickly sits upright still snickering,"_You, _a puny human, wants to know what it's like to be a homunculus?"

"Why is that so weird?" she shrugs, dumbfounded,"It's just a question."

"As if I need to explain it to you!" he barks, halting his laughter and walking away from her.

The girl throws her arms up annoyed,"So there's no explanation, then?"

He turns around and begins walking towards her with an evil smile on his face,"How about I show you the answer?"

Swallowing back her nervousness, Darby watches as his arm transforms into a sharp; black piercing point. Taking a step back from her, he lunges through the air with his arm pointing directly at her chest. She staggers a little and falls against the back wall of the cave sinking to the ground; barely dodging the point. He laughs maniacally as he stands above her, pointing his arm at her. The girl covers her head with her arms; squinting her eyes shut and shaking with fear.

"Ha! Look at you cower in fear!" he cackles,"You humans are so easy to take advantage of!"

Waiting for the attack, Darby's heart beats fiercely in her chest. She brings her arms in closer to her head, wondering if maybe he is toying with her. Counting to three, she slowly opens her eyes, spying him still standing above her with his arm pointed at her chest.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to kill me?" she says quietly.

Smiling, Envy continues pointing his arm at her, slowly bringing the point closer to her chest. She shudders as the point breaks through the fabric of her sweater, slightly scraping against her skin breast. Looking up into his eyes, she notices hints of excitement as he continues tormenting her. Swallowing a knot of nervousness in her throat, she decides to try to speak to him before he can murder her.

"So, to be a homunculus is to be powerful, then?" the girl says timidly.

Envy stops smiling, his arm transforming back to normal,"What the hell did you say?"

"Power. That's what makes you a homunculus." The girl lowers her arms,"You've got it so you enjoy using it to torment others."

Envy glares at her,"How amusing- a human pretending she understands what a homunculus is."

"I get the gist of it, yes." she says taking a stand in front of him and poking him in the chest,"But, you, my friend, have no idea what it means to be human."

Envy rolls his eyes at her, returning to his seat in the corner of the cave, laying his head back against the wall.

"Humans are complicated beings. You may get the gist of us, but, you'll never know what it's like to be a human." she says walking over to him.

Ignoring her, he stares up at the cave ceiling making yakety-yak gestures with his hand, "Eh, whatever.."

"Your hate won't tell you anything about humans." she says, squatting before him,"Why don't you give us a chance? You might come to like us."

He rolls his eyes, disgusted,"Ugh! Typical whiny human. You're making my stomach churn."

The girl blushes a little as she nervously moves closer to him, taking a seat upon her knees. Drawing herself up, she shakily grabs his hand and holds it in hers, noticing its surprising heaviness. He lowers his head to glare at her; hints of sadness and irritation in his eyes.

"What the hell do you want?" he barks, looking down at their hands in confusion.

"To be a human, one must think and feel with their brain-"she points to her head.

"And their hearts." at these words she nervously places his hand upon her chest, resting it over her heart.

Her face turns red at his touch; her heart thumping hard in her chest as his hand rests heavily upon her breast. Envy eyes her suspiciously, feeling her heart rapidly beat against her rib cage. The girl averts her eyes nervously as they continue to sit there quietly. Becoming bothered by the awkwardness between them, he withdraw his hand quickly.

"What the hell is this crap?!" he guffaws, turning away from her.

The girl frowns at him,"Humans think and feel emotions. It's what makes us who we are."

Rubbing his hand off on his shorts, Envy rolls his eyes and yawns.

"If we didn't think and feel, we'd basically be you." Darby says bluntly.

He looks at her with confusion in his eyes,"What the hell do you know?! You don't know shit about me!"

With that, he shoves her away with his foot, causing her to fall backwards roughly onto the ground.

"Who'd have thought the almighty Envy could show emotion towards me?" she says, sitting back up and scooting over towards him.

Envy stares at the wall, pretending she doesn't exist. Shaking nervously, she slowly outstretches her arms towards him, sliding closer. She stretches over him gently, draping her arms around his shoulders. His eyes open widely as she tightens her grip upon him, resting herself against him and laying her head upon his chest.

"Wh-what the hell are you doing?" he stutters nervously, staring down at her.

Darby sighs as she continues hugging him,"I'm just showing you that I like you by hugging you."

"Get off of me, you worm!" he yells as he attempts to wiggle out of her grip.

"How about you try hugging me back?" she says,"You've got arms, don't you?"

Smiling timidly, she grasps one of his arms and drapes it around her. A feeling of warmth invades her body as she relaxes into his arms, enjoying his company. Envy sits there with his arms around her, looking down at her in confusion. The girl snuggles into his chest and releases another sigh of happiness. His face contorts into a look of disgust as he notices the smile upon her face. Gripping her wrists tightly, slightly bruising the thin skin, he wrenches her arms off of him and glares at her. Darby frowns up at him as he quickly pulls away from her. Standing up, he pushes her aside and heads towards the entrance of the cave.

"Stay the hell away from me, you human!" he barks, leaning against the wall.

The girl sits back into her corner of the cave, hugging her legs to her chest. Contemplating the fact that he felt something, she lays her head upon her knees and sighs. She stares over at the figure of Envy, taking note of his posture, wondering what is going through his mind. Looking at the wilderness beyond the troubled man, she notices that the sky is no longer visible due to the snow.

"Looks like I'm stuck here with you for a night, as well." he barks without turning to face her.

"Better than being dead, I guess." she says, frowning, before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

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><p>What seemed like hours had passed and Envy remained leaning against the wall. The girl had pissed him off with her display of affection. While he was beginning to enjoy her attitude and slight sarcasm, she was still a filthy human and he <em>hated <em>humans. Humans confused him with all of their jumbled emotions. This girl was no exception, having hugged him, her enemy, and admitted that she liked him. It irritated him that she had caught him off guard and managed to make him feel something he thought was impossible. He's a homunculus and homunculii aren't supposed to feel emotions- one of the many things that separated them from humans. An evil smirk made its way upon his face as he watched the last bit of remaining space in the entrance becomes blanketed by snow.

Darby slowly awakens, her eyes adjusting to the low light conditions. Yawning, she lifts her head and looks over at the dark figure of Envy. A small amount of space remained at the top of the snow wall blocking off the cave entrance; small trickles of moonlight shining through. The last trickles of light swarm around Envy, causing him to take on the appearance of a demon.

The girl shivers a little at the sight and speaks up,"Hey, Envy?"

No response comes from the dark figure as he adjusts himself against the wall.

"Envy?" she says again louder, "Sorry if I upset you."

Envy looks over his shoulder at her and smirks, "Upset me?! Ha!"

She can just barely make out a slight grimace on his face. Swallowing a nervous knot in her throat, she continues"It's just- you seemed upset after I hugged you."

He turns to face her, his arms upon his hips,"What the hell are you talking about?"

A rumbling echoes through the cave as snow crumbles from above them falling upon the wall of snow. Envy cackles as Darby notices the lack of light in the cave, the last bit of space having been blocked by the fallen snow. She intakes her breath as his presence charges towards her. Listening to her surroundings, she nervously backs into her corner; a chill making its way down her spine.

"E-Envy? Where are you?" she stutters quietly, reaching out in front of her.

Something sneaks by her and she huddles tightly into the corner,"Stop it! This isn't funny!"

Envy laughs as he approaches her, watching her hug the corner. A smirk plays upon his face as he notices her shivering in fear. With a silent snicker, he transforms his arm into a green tentacle and quietly steps beside her. Grinning ear to ear, he gently runs his tentacle through the air; the tip of it lightly grazing the top of her head.

Clenching her eyes shut, Darby waits for Envy to get bored. A slight tingle runs down her spine as she feels a prickling sensation upon her head as something makes its way across her scalp. She gulps a little and reaches up to touch it, only to discover there's nothing there. Sighing, she hugs her hands over her head in hopes of stopping his next attack upon her head. A slithering sensation makes its way up her leg and she yelps in both shock and excitement. She cautiously reaches down her leg, feeling only her pants. Sliding down into a sitting position in her corner, she pulls her knees in close and gives up on participating in his little game. Humming a little tune, she rocks herself and tries to ignore his many "attacks".

"How pathetic!" Envy laughs from across the cave, watching her hum loudly to herself. Annoyed by her actions, he stops laughing and stands there silently; watching her. Suspicious over his sudden quietness, she looks up from her knees, straining her eyes in the darkness to try to find him.

"Envy?" she whispers, her breathing being the only sound she hears.

Summoning her courage, she slowly stands up in her corner and stretches her arms out. With a deep breath, she gropes the wall before slowly pulling away from it, reluctantly stepping forward. Her pulse filling her ears, she nervously comes to a stop in the middle of the room and concentrates on her surroundings. Standing like a frightened child, she shivers as she feels his presence nearby.

"Quit these games, Envy!" she says as bravely as she can.

Her breathing becomes rapid as she feels his presence come closer. She clenches her fists tightly,"You don't scare me."

She chokes as a sort of tentacle wraps its way around her throat tightly. Grabbing forcefully at the tentacle, her eyes widen in shock as she is forced to the ground; her head smacking the surface with a hard thud. Pain shoots through her head as the world begins to spin. Fighting to regain her balance, she adjusts herself onto her back, laying flat upon the ground with the tentacle still wrapped around her throat.

"I don't scare you- Yet here you are screaming and crying like a pathetic human!" Envy growls, his body lying upon hers; his face hovering over her face.

The girl shivers at his closeness,"_You_ don't scare me. Your _powers_ scare me."

At these words, Envy starts to tighten his grip around her neck, causing her to gag. Gripping at his arm, Darby digs her nails into the flesh to try to buy herself more time.

"So, you're just gonna off me, then?" she cries; her voice growing hoarse,"This is not how I wanted to end my life."

Envy stares down at her; his grip becoming ever tighter,"Should have thought of that before you opened your mouth!"

"I was really starting to like your company, Envy." she chokes,"I know it's odd but, I like you."

Envy glares at her, his tentacle compressing her throat tightly; the force of the tentacle constricting her airways and making it hard to breathe.

The girl begins to sob,"Envy, please- I beg of you! Let me live!"

The tentacle grips around her neck tighter, almost crushing her hyroid bone and sending her into a choking fit.

"What was that? Keep begging- I love hearing you beg!" Envy snarls, an evil sneer upon his face.

Darby grasps his arm, fighting to pry it off of her. Her vision begins to become fuzzy as her body starts to lack oxygen. The threat of fear causing her to panic, she begins punching his tentacle to loosen his grip, but to no avail. Not wanting to surrender to death, she lets her emotions take over, remembering his close proximity. Struggling to move due to the pressure of the tentacle, she fights to sit up. She manages to rise a few inches, bonking his head and managing to lightly graze his lips with hers.

Eyes open wide, Envy loosens his grip around her throat, having been taken aback by her actions. Darby reaches her head further up, panicking that he's about to toy with her and grabs for his head; kissing him roughly all the while tightening her grip upon him. Envy struggles against her kiss, removing his arm and quickly retreating backwards from her; his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" he mutters, scooting backwards out of her reach.

Gasping for air, Darby sits up and reaches out for him,"Envy, it's okay. Come back.""Talk to me, Envy."

The girl feels her way around the ground in the dark, crawling upon the ground; blinded by the dark. Feeling around with her hands, she breathes in deeply to replenish her oxygen supply as she attempts to find the frightened homunculus.

Envy stumbles backwards into a corner, drawing his knees towards his chest. Glaring at her in confusion, he watches her slowly make her way towards him. She manages to find his leg, slowly groping her way towards him.

"Get away from me!" he growls, turning his back to her.

"Please don't be afraid." she says softly, placing a hand upon his shoulder,"I just want to show you what it means to be human."

At that, she lays her head upon his knee and he closes his eyes,"Why the hell did you do that, idiot?"

"I kissed you, silly."she giggles, causing him to glare at her,"It's what I do to people I really like."

"Yeah, well, it was disgusting!" Envy growls, wiping his mouth off,"Who would want to do something like that anyways?"

"It's because I _envy_ your power and abilities." Darby sighs, her hand dropping to the ground,"In turn, I've come to start liking you as a person. I wanted to show you that, Envy, and kissing was the best way to get through to you."

Envy eyes her disconcertingly,"_You Envy Me?! _What the hell is this crap?"

"It's the truth. I Envy you, n_ot fear _you_._" she explains, feeling him slowly turn around to face her.

Envy frowns a little, as he crosses his legs, accidentally making room for the girl. With shaking hands, Darby comes in closer and slowly wraps her arms around his neck, smiling gently at him. Envy frowns at her show of emotion, feeling his heart act funny within his chest. Sighing deeply, a slight tingling makes its way down his back as he realizes the comfort in having the girl lay upon him.

"I guess humans and humunculi are kind of alike." she says, stroking his cheek,"You say you don't feel emotions, but, I don't think that's true."

Envy hesitantly puts his arms around her as she presses her forehead against his, examining the girl to see if she has gone crazy. Their hearts pounding rapidly, Darby nervously plants a soft kiss upon his lips; smiling into the kiss. Envy swallows a knot in his throat as she quickly removes her lips, resting her head upon his shoulder.

"If nothing else, can we at least get along while we're in here?" she asks, laying her head upon his shoulder,"That would be a sign of respect for each other."

"I guess." he mumbles, having been disarmed by her sudden change of attitude.

Darby sighs and closes her eyes, cuddling into his shoulder as Envy unconsciously grips her a little tighter. As the girl slowly settles in for a nap, Envy sits in the calm darkness, staring off into space; completely disarmed by this human girl's actions. He hated humans and, yet, here was a human he was beginning to like having around. Wishing the storm had never happened, she sighs and lays his head backwards upon the cave wall, awaiting the sun to rise.

* * *

><p><em>I want to thank all you readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters out there who have stuck with me since I published this story. I shall continue taking your advice, reviews, and criticism to heart and will try my best to update this story and all my other stories more often.<em>

_If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to PM me or review my story._

_Thanks!_

_-RPG Girl._


	3. Playing with the Beast

Darby rustles in her sleep as Envy stares at the farthest wall of the cave. Small mumbles make their way through her lips, causing him to smirk a little. He carefully shifts his legs so as not to wake her, shivering as he feels her breath upon his neck. Laying his head back against the wall, he sighs and stares at the ceiling. Thoughts of their previous actions course through his brain, causing him to frown. Mere hours ago he was spouting off how much he hated humans, yet here he was now consorting and mingling with this human. Growling in annoyance, he clenches his hands into fists as a cramp builds up in his crossed legs.

The wind blows hard outside, whistling through the cracks in the snow and chilling the cave air. Completely oblivious to the cold, Envy stews upon his thoughts as Darby shivers in her sleep. With a soft exhale, she cuddles into him for warmth, his face slightly reddening as he looks down at her. Feeling her heart beat against his, his pulse begins to quicken. He sits there in silence, listening to the girl's slow breaths and the howl of the wind.

A few trees in the distance snap from the weight of the snow, bringing him out of his thoughts. With an annoyed sigh, he tries to relieve the cramps in his legs, but the weight of the girl in his lap makes his movements awkward. Irritated by his change in attitude towards a human, the fact that a human is hindering his actions, and the fact that he ever got caught by pipsqueak; he angrily punches the ground at his sides. Darby's eyes shoot open and she pulls away from him in a panic, falling backwards upon the ground. Sneering at her, he pushes her aside with his legs and stands up.

"Envy- What's going on?" she says worriedly.

"Nothing." he growls, walking towards the entrance,"Go back to sleep, stupid."

The girl sits up slowly, listening to her surroundings. Other than the howl of the wind, all seems to be the same. With a frown, she slowly dusts herself off, waiting for a sign as to why he abruptly woke her up; only to be answered by the shriek of the wind.

"Is there someone out there?" she asks, listening to him walk around beside the entrance.

"None of your little friends would be able to make it out here." he snorts, kicking at the dirt floor.

"Could it be one of your friends, then?" she suggests, standing up.

"No! No one is there!" he snaps,"Why are you so annoying?!"

The girl lowers her eyes a little; feeling slightly embarrassed,"Sorry."

Envy rolls his eyes at her, leaning against the wall beside the entrance.

"How do you know if someone is there or not?" she asks, fumbling towards the entrance.

Envy ignores her, watching her stumble around in the dark.

"I know you can shape-shift, but, does that mean you have other powers, too?" she says, excitedly.

Envy snickers quietly, watching her trip over her own feet,"Are all humans this dumb?"

"Like you're one to talk..." she mumbles, holding her arms out in front of her,"You're so powerful yet you got captured."

Envy sneers, glaring at her as she lightly grazes him with her hand."Shut up, worm!"

"Maybe if you had some manners I wouldn't hate you so much." she snaps, coming to a stand in front of him.

"Ha! Look at you getting all upset." he smirks,"You humans are easily agitated- so annoying!"

Huffing in annoyance, she throws up her hands in defeat before leaning against the wall beside him. She sighs, closing her eyes, as she tries to calm herself and ignore the man beside her. Envy looks sideways at her, snickering at the annoyance showing upon her face. Growling, she turns sideways and glares at him.

"You're driving me crazy." she barks, only to be met by more laughs,"It's bad enough I'm stuck in here..."

"You're human. All humans are crazy." Envy smirks, noticing the frown upon her face.

"You really need to work on your people skills." she says crossly,"One minute you're nice and the next you're a jerk."

Stepping away from the wall, she begins to trace a transmutation circle in the dirt with her feet; deciding that a fight might settle him down. Envy watches her with a grin, taking note of her movements.

"People skills? HA! I'm not even a human!" he says, watching her hobble around.

"Regardless, you look and act human." she rolls her eyes at him, continuing her circle.

"It's not like this is my true form, you idiot." he says, crossing his arms,"I just happen to find this form attractive."

Blushing a little in agreement, Darby finishes the circle; feeling its alchemic effects,"So, Envy- are these friends of yours supposed to come save you?"

"Yeah. What of it?" he says, glaring at her as she comes to a stop in front of him.

"Just thought I'd ask." she shrugs, readying herself above her circle,"I'm really looking forward to getting out of here."

Without knowing why, her words anger him; causing his blood to boil and his heart to hammer in his chest. Clenching his hands into fists he stands up straight, towering over the small human girl in front of him. Fire burning in his eyes, Envy lunges at her with arm, transforming it into a tentacle. With a shriek, the girl falls backwards in surprise and manages to dodge his attack.

"Big words for a pathetic human who can't even fight!" he barks, standing above her.

Having expected an attack, just not able to really concentrate due to the dark; Darby quickly readies herself for the next attack.

Envy growls angrily and swings his arm at her, striking her in the shoulder. Flinching in pain, Darby clenches her jaw tightly, feeling the alchemic aura in front of her and quickly smacking her hands onto the circle. The alchemy fills the ring, lighting up the cave.

"What the-?! Envy says, looking down at the illuminated symbols below him. A look of shock comes upon his face as the ground shifts, knocking him off of his feet.

A glowing pole springs forth from the floor and falls with a loud clang in front of the girl. Taking a stand at the same time as Envy, Darby grabs for the pole and positions herself for a fight. Envy cackles with laughter as he stands before her eyeing the pole in her hands.

"So, you want to fight, huh?!" He chuckles,"You do realize I can kill you quickly, right?"

The girl holds her position and glares at him,"I don't give a damn! Come at me and show me your power!"

Envy laughs evilly; his eyes glowing red as he charges at the girl with full force. With a powerful thrust, he slams his tentacle hard against the pole. Grunting with the blunt force of his attack, Darby struggles to stay in position; her feet digging into the ground.

Laughing gleefully, Envy jumps around her; swinging his tentacle and punching at her with his fist. With every attack, Darby barely manages to hold her ground and counter attack with a swing of her pole-arm.

They continue their battle, letting out all of their frustration and hate before Envy comes to an abrupt stop; bored with tormenting her. With a swift kick, he breaks the pole in half, knocking it to the ground.

"You bore me, human." he says, standing before her with his hand upon his hip.

Turning around with a smirk upon his face, Darby drops her guard and watches him curiously. A quick "eep!" escapes her mouth as he wheels around, swinging his tentacle at her. Throwing her arms up quickly, she barely dodges his attack; tears welling up in her eyes as pain shoots through her limbs. Squinting her eyes shut, she misses his secondary attack with his fist; his hand making contact with her chest and sending her flying backwards against the cave wall.

Envy stares down at her, watching her tremble from the pain and fear; gritting her teeth as she attempts to stand up. Noticing the black bruises forming upon her limbs, he smirks; enjoying her suffering.

"All bark and no bite." he says, crossing his arms across his chest,"Typical human."

Ignoring the pain and his rude remarks, Darby slowly stands back up before him. Shooting him an angry glare, she clenches her hands into fists; her knuckles turning white.

"I won't give up until I've beaten you!" she growls, her fists tightening,"If that's what it takes to get you to stop hating me, then so be it!"

She throws herself forward, sending a fist flying at his face. Hardly flinching, Envy takes a step backwards and yawns; her fist simply streaking past his chest. Growling angry, she throws her other fist at him with as much force as she can muster. Envy easily dodges it, countering her attack with a punch and hitting her against the side of her head.

Darby's eyes flutter as his fist impacts against her head; her ears ringing loudly. Her head throbs as the world spins around her; falling to the ground and blacking out.

Envy watches the girl's body collapse to the ground, her head hitting the floor hard. Exhaling with frustration, his arm transforms back to normal as he bends down beside the fainted girl. Forgetting about his anger, he reaches down and scoops her up into his arms.

"Shit." he grumbles, looking down at the girl in his arms as he heads to the back of the cave. He carefully lays her down upon the ground, ensuring her head is elevated. With a deep sigh, he takes a seat beside her; drawing his knees up to his chest. He runs a hand up and down his face roughly, angry at his unusual behavior.

_"_What the hell is wrong with me?!" he yells through gritted teeth, punching the ground angrily.

A small hole forms in the ground, only to be fixed by the alchemic seal. Growling, he punches the floor again and again, letting out his frustration and confusion.

Darby's eyes slowly flutter open, pain coursing through her head.

She grips her head as tears begin to form in her eyes,"Wh-what happened?"

Using the light of the remaining transmutation circle, she spots Envy ferociously attacking the cave floor. The noise causes her head to throb and she grips it tightly as she watches him in his anger. Noticing the sadness in his eyes, she frowns.

"What-Is-Wrong-With-Me!?" he roars, throwing himself backwards upon the floor.

"Envy, are you okay?" she says through clenched teeth, her head spinning slightly.

Envy glares at her,"Don't talk to me."

The girl looks at him confused,"Wait- what happened?"

He glares at her again,"You're weak. Now, fuck off!"

Remembering their fight, she slowly sits up; holding onto her head. Allowing a few moments for the dizziness to dissipate before scooting over towards him cautiously. She tries to touch his shoulder but he smacks it off of him.

"I told you to get away from me!" he says crossly,"What are you, stupid?"

Growling in frustration, he sits back up and crosses his arms against his chest.

Darby scoots closer towards him,"Envy, what's wrong? I may just be a puny human but I'm sure I can help you-"

Envy cuts her off quickly by wrapping his hands around her neck tightly.

"I should have just killed you the second you stepped foot in here." he snarls with fire in his eyes.

The girl coughs a little,"Then, why didn't you? Just get it the hell over with."

She looks him deep in the eyes, watching them begin to tear up. At the sadness in her eyes, he frowns and shakes a little, his grip upon her throat loosening. With a strangled sigh, his arms drop to his sides in defeat.

"What's stopping you?" she says, staring at him in shock.

Envy begins to stutter,"I-I don't know! Why am I acting like this?"

He hits the floor with his fist, tears flowing freely; angry at the fact that he can't bring himself to kill her.

Realization hits Darby as she grabs his arm firmly,"I think you don't want to kill me because you've grown to like me."

Envy glares at her; his face red with anger,"Regardless, I'm not supposed to be acting this way!"

Darby places her hands upon his cheeks gently, making him stare into her eyes. He begins to start mumbling his same complaint but is cut off by her pressing her lips roughly against his; shutting him up.

Envy's eyes widen as he stares at her flushed face, feeling a tightness in his throat. Blinking several times he feels his face become flushed as she slowly pulls away from the kiss; his lips tingling and wanting more.

"Stop talking and listen to me." she says, lightly placing her finger against his lips.

Envy's lower lip trembles a little as he fights back his angry tears, trying not to concentrate on her lips.

"You're beginning to see what it's like to be a human. Whether you have a soul or not, it's apparent to me that you have emotions." she says with a smile.

"But, I don't want to _be_ a human!" he snaps,"_I'm not human!" _

"I know you don't, and I'm not saying you are- I simply showed you what it's like to be a human..." she says gently, wiping at his eyes.

He glares at her, lightly smacking away her hands.

"Just as you showed me what it was to be a homunculus." she says, staring into his eyes.

Envy growls a little, wiping furiously at his eyes; making Darby laugh. Despite his anger, a small smile manages to play upon his lips.

"Envy, don't beat yourself up." she says,"I rather like the new Envy."

Envy glares at her and crosses his arms. His head quickly perks up and he looks around the cave.

"What is it?" she says quietly, trying to look around using the remaining light from her circle as a guide.

"The blizzard has stopped." he says with a smirk.

"Well, until someone arrives and let's you out, you're not going anywhere." the girl says with a devilish grin.

Envy glares at her but manages a genuine smirk,"A human I don't want to kill- ha!"

Darby wraps her arms around his shoulders and hugs him for warmth. Looking up at him, she smiles before laying her head upon his chest . Almost out of instinct, Envy gently wraps his arms around her, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"Don't go getting all mushy on me, idiot!" he snaps, causing her to smirk before closing her eyes.

Envy tightens his grip around her as he closes his eyes and listens to the world around him.

* * *

><p>Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep sprawled out upon the ground. The sleeping form of the girl beside him, curled up into a little ball for warmth. With the blizzard stopped, the snow packed against the entrance slowly begins to melt. A slight breeze blows into the cave through the small cracks in the snow, chilling the once warm air in the cave. The girl shivers a little as the breeze wraps around her, goosebumps popping up on the surface of her skin.<p>

Her eyes flicker open as the cave grows colder, small trickles of light barely illuminating the cave through the holes in the snow. Darby looks around her and spots the sleeping homunculus beside her. Yawning, she slowly sits up and gently places a hand upon his arm.

"Envy?" she says quietly, shaking him gently.

His ragged breathing answers her as he turns over onto his side, mumbling.

"He's asleep!" she chuckles with surprise,"I never thought homunculuses could sleep!"

The man before her turns in his sleep, lying back onto his back; causing her to jump a little. She stares at him for a moment before placing her other hand upon his arm. Gently, she caresses his limb with her hand; exploring the contours of his muscles. Blushing a little, she brings her hand up to his shoulder; trailing her fingers up his neck and to his face. Smirking at the rare chance for her exploration; guessing the man doesn't usually sleep, she traces his lower lip with a shaky hand.

A small snore disrupts her curiosity, causing her to quickly retreat her hand. She sits quietly in the dark, listening to him breathing; staring at the sleeping man. After a few moments of silence, he continues snoring on his back. Biting her lower lip, she slowly drags her finger over his firm pectorals and down his well built abs. Her face starts to sear as she reaches his lower abdomen, feeling the rim of his shorts. Her heart begins to beat hard in her chest as a prickling sensation runs down her back. She traces little patterns upon his stomach with her finger, contemplating whether to move down. A movement startles her as a hand grips her wrist roughly, causing her breath to catch in her throat.

"Enjoying yourself?" comes the all too vicious voice of Envy as he sits up in front of her.

The girl squeals and quickly retreats her hand, panicking. Avoiding his gaze, she quickly backs away from him, falling over in the process.

A snicker escapes Envy's throat as he squats beside her,"Well?!"

Darby lays upon the ground, paralyzed from embarrassment,"I-I-I..."

"I-I-I.. Quit Stuttering!" he snaps,"It's so annoying!"

"S-sorry." she says, her face flushed as she stares up at the man above her.

Her heart practically jumps out of her chest as he positions himself above her. He stares down at her, causing her breath to come out shakily.

Envy grasps her wrists in his, pinning her hands beside her head. Watching the girl below him lay there in defeat, a smirk plays upon his face.

His grips upon her hands tightens, issuing forth a squeak of pain from her throat,"Now, answer my question- Were. You. Enjoying. Yourself?"

Unable to speak, the girl simply nods her head 'yes', trying not to look him in the eyes.

He brings his face close to hers, their noses touching, "What's that? I can't hear you."

"I.. did." she chokes nervously, her face on fire.

Envy's mouth spreads out into an evil grin and he brings his mouth close to hers, feeling her warm breath upon his lips.

"Do you want to do it again?" he purrs, his lips brushing slightly against hers with every word.

The girl's eyes widen and she quickly turns her face to the side, trying to avert her eyes.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" he snaps, grasping her chin in his hand and roughly forcing her to face him.

A gasp escapes her throat as he forces his mouth upon hers, kissing her so roughly it feels like her jaw is going to break. Gathering her composure, she returns the kiss; Envy grasping her head in his hands. Her heart beats quickly in her chest as he forces his tongue between her lips, surprising her. Lustfully, she returns the favor; noticing the evil glint in his eye.

An evil cackle escapes Envy's throat and Darby quickly pulls away, gasping for air.

"The hell are you stopping for?!" Envy barks, forcing his mouth back onto hers.

"E-Envy- stop." she mumbles, trying to push him away.

"Fine. Whatever." he groans, scooting off of her and allowing her to sit up,"The snow is almost melted from the entrance."

The girl frowns a little as she adjusts her clothing and regains her composure.

Noticing her frown, Envy lightly grabs her into a hug and holds her against him.

"Envy?" she says, taken aback by his sudden show of affection.

"Looks like it's time for us to split." he says, staring at the melted snow.

"Envy, this doesn't mean we can't see each other." she says softly.

"You're friends with that pip squeak. Soon they'll come for you and then you'll leave." he growls.

The girl frowns at him,"But, that doesn't mean I won't be seeing you again."

Envy rolls his eyes and stands up, pushing her away,"Eh, just leave me alone."

Mumbling to himself, he walks over to the entrance and leans against it.

"Don't be like this, Envy." she says annoyed, walking over to where he's standing,"What about what we just did?"

"Who's side are you on?!" he snaps, glaring down at her.

She looks up at him angrily,"I told you already, idiot."

Envy growls,"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?!" she snaps, kicking the dirt upon the ground.

Envy shakes his head and leans against the wall,"Why treat me like this if we're enemies?"

She looks at him sadly and shrugs,"Humans are just odd like that, I guess."

His hands scrunch up into fists and he punches the wall, watching the seal fix the damage.

"I honestly cannot tell you why us humans do what we do." the girl shrugs,"All I know is, I like you, Envy."

"I told you I hate humans." he barks, punching the wall again,"I don't understand you!"

The girl grasps his arm in her hands,"I know you don't, but-"

Envy pushes her off of him."But, what?"

Darby nervously looks into his eyes,"You're acting humane yourself, which has me slightly confused."

He whips his head around and gives her a deadly glare,"I. am. not. a. human."

She gulps nervously and avoids his eyes,"Acting humane has nothing to do with being human. It simply means you care about something."

A frustrated sigh escapes Envy's mouth as he pulls her against him,"Fine. Whatever. Just don't be the one to fight me, if it comes down to it."

She smiles up at him weakly as he grips her tightly; hugging her around the waist.

They stand there together as the first patches of light start to force their way into the cave.

* * *

><p><em>I want to thank all you readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters out there who have stuck with me since I published this story. I shall continue taking your advice, reviews, and criticism to heart and will try my best to update this story and all my other stories more often.<em>

_If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to PM me or review my story._

_Thanks!_

_-RPG Girl._


	4. Escaping with the Beast

The girl leans into Envy, watching the sun rise over the slowly melting wall of snow; peacefully staring off into space. Envy looks out the entrance towards the small mountain town, the snow having cleared up. After two days of being snowed in together, the time had come for them to leave.

"Any moment, now, your little friends will be here." Envy says, bringing Darby back to reality.

The girl frowns a little, pulling away from him,"What?"

He grabs her around her hips and lifts her up to look outside, causing her to blush. The small town can be easily seen as it was before the blizzard, but there are no signs of life.

"I don't see anyone." she says with a frown as he sets her down.

"Really?" Envy snorts,"Cause, it looks to me like someone is heading this way."

Folding her arms, Darby rolls her eyes at him,"I could squint my eyes tightly and I still wouldn't see anyone."

"Oh, right- you can't see them yet... I forgot..." Envy says frankly, causing her to glare.

Messing up her hair, he smirks at her causing her face to light up.

"Whether they're coming or not, I'm gonna go sit down for a few." she says, turning to walk to the back of the cave.

Her eyes widen as she turns to face a horrid pitch blackness inside of the cave. Unable to make out any details, the girl takes a few steps backwards. A hideous cackles fills her ears as millions of purple eyes open within the blackness. The girl screams and falls backwards onto Envy, clinging to him for protection.

"What the hell-?" he growls, turning around quickly to face the darkness.

"Hello, Envy." booms the evil voice of Pride.

"What is that?!" Darby squeaks, hiding behind Envy.

He hisses at her,"Will you shut the hell up?!"

"Befriending a human, now, are we?" Pride laughs, an evil set of teeth grinning within the blackness.

"The hell I ain't!" Envy barks,"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving you, obviously." Pride laughs,"Since you're too stupid to do a simple job and got yourself captured."

"Shut the fuck up!" Envy growls, his arm transforming into the same black point as he jumps at the darkness.

"Temper. Temper." Pride cackles; the giant white mouth sneering brightly.

Envy swings his arm at him,"Piss off, you idiot! I can handle myself just fine."

"It's time to go, Envy." Pride says,"You've had your fun, but we've got work to do."

"Not until I kill that bastard, Marcoh!" Envy barks.

"He'll die soon enough." Pride says evilly, the darkness retreating from the cave.

"Get back here, you coward!" Envy yells, walking towards the back of the cave.

The light streams in from the entrance, illuminating the cave again.

"Is he gone?" Darby says quietly, looking around the cave.

Envy's arm reverts back to normal as he eyes the girl out of the corner of his eye.

He stands in silence for a moment,"No. He's just standing outside."

The girl looks sideways at the entrance and backs away from it.

"Don't worry. It's too bright outside. He can't really do anything right now." Envy says with a smirk.

He turns towards the girl with a small smile upon his lips and offers her his hand. She grabs his hand, wrapping her arms around him quickly. Envy comforts her, draping his arms around her shoulders and laying his head upon hers.

"I love it when humans are scared." he says evilly, pressing his lips roughly upon her forehead.

The girl blushes a little and looks up at him. He smirks at her, grasping her chin; forcefully pressing his lips to hers. The sound of fracturing rocks interrupts their short lived moment as pebbles begin raining down upon them. Envy quickly covers her with his body as an eruption of boulders falls upon them.

"What's happening?" the girl says, looking around Envy.

"Sloth." Envy answers her, pushing her towards the exit and away from the explosion.

The girl looks at him confused,"Sloth?"

"Hey, are you okay?!" comes the voice of Alphonse, interrupting their conversation.

Congregating outside of the entrance is Edward and his company of friends and family.

"H-hey!" she stutters, waving at the group,"We're fine!"

Ed walks closer to the entrance,"What was that explosion?"

"Envy says it's Sloth?" she explains, before turning to face the back of the cave.

Light streams into the cave as chunks of the ceiling begin to collapse.

"Get out of there, now!" Ed yells, watching cracks travel up the walls,"The cave is going to come down!"

"We can't leave Envy." the girl says, watching a giant fist punch through the wall.

"Get the hell out of here!" Envy snaps at her,"I'll be fine, but I don't know about you."

"No! I'm not leaving without you." the girl snaps, pulling on his arm.

"Fine!" he growls, glaring over at Ed,"I'll go if the pipsqueak lets me."

Ed rolls his eyes and smacks his hands onto the edge of the cave entrance. The barrier dissipates into specks of glitter carried off into the wind.

"Hurry up and get out!" May shouts, right as a huge chunk of rock breaks free from the wall, Sloth's head appearing.

Envy grabs the girl's arm hard and rushes her out of the cave, kneeling onto the ground in front of her as a barrier. Rock shards erupt through the air, flying in all directions as the cave begins collapsing. Smacking the ground quickly, Edward brings forth a wall of Earth, creating a barrier between them and the cave. A cloud of dust fills the air, choking them as the rumbles die down. Darby helps May and Al stand up as everyone begins to dust themselves off.

Envy growls and cuts the wall in half with his arm, yelling at the cloud of dust,"You idiots! Couldn't you have just broken a hole in the wall?!"

The ground begins to quake as two dark figures make their way through the dust cloud.

"Envy, relax." Pride says with a smirk as he appears from the cloud first.

Ed and Scar glare at the small brown haired child in front of them; Darby cowering behind Al.

"What are you doing here?" Ed grumbles at Pride.

"We came to get Envy." Pride says, glaring at the blonde boy.

A towering figure emerges from the cloud behind Pride, his hands dragging upon the ground.

"Sorry, Envy." He says lazily, sounding as if he's drifting between consciousness and sleep.

"I didn't need rescuing, you dumb-ass!" Envy yells at Sloth, brandishing his fist.

"Sure you didn't." Pride smirks, crossing his arms against his chest.

Envy growls at Pride,"Why, you little-!"

Darby grabs him by the arm,"Calm down, Envy."

"Piss off!" he snaps, shrugging her off of him.

The girl frowns, looking down at the little girl beside her.

"Come with me!" May says, pulling the girl back to where Al stands.

"I hate to break it to you, but Envy's not going back with you." Ed growls at Pride.

"He's our prisoner, and he's coming with us." Dr. Marcoh adds, stepping forward.

Pride grins in amusement,"Fine, then. He's all yours, Edward. Take him."

Envy glares at him,"What the hell?! That's it?! You're not even gonna fight the pipsqueak?!"

"In exchange- we'll take Dr. Marcoh." Pride adds, clasping his hands together.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, either." Ed barks, clapping his hands and transforming his arm into a sword.

"Sloth?" Pride says, gesturing towards the ginormous homunculus behind him.

Nodding his head slowly, Sloth swings his fist like a wrecking ball towards Edward. Ed dodges his fist, counter attacking by slicing his arm with his sword and barely nicking him. Sloth swings his arm at him, not even noticing his attack.

"This is pointless, Ed." Al calls out,"Pride can't hurt us because it's too bright out and Sloth is too slow."

"Yeah, but, we can't just let them walk away!" Ed yells as he makes an attack at Pride.

Pride dodges his attack,"That's not very nice of you, attacking a child."

Ed glares at him and hits him hard against the face,"Now's our chance!"

Clapping his hands together upon the ground, a wall of rock begins to form. A rumbling sound makes its way through the Earth as the wall encloses around the two homunculii into a sort of earthly sphere.

"That should hold them for a few." Ed says quickly,"Now let's get out of here!"

"Perhaps we should bind Envy's hands?" Dr. Marcoh suggests; answered by a nod from Edward.

Darby nods her head 'yes' and walks over to Envy, doing as she was instructed.

"Don't you think about it!" he snaps at her with a deathly glare.

She smiles a little at him, fumbling in her pockets to find a binding for his wrists as they flee from the scene.

"I'll come willingly, pipsqueak." Envy mumbles, glaring at Ed.

Ed narrows his eyes at Envy as they quickly walk away,"Come off it. Why are agreeing to surrender, Envy?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Envy shrugs, feigning innocence

The sound of punching reaches their ears as Sloth begins breaking the wall.

"Come on you guys, we gotta get going!" Al yells, trying to encourage them to walk faster.

Scar eyes the girl suspiciously, watching her stroll comfortably beside Envy, occasionally glancing at him.

"Unfortunate timing for a blizzard." he says staring at the couple.

"Yes." the girl agrees, looking nervously ahead of her.

"No worries. I took great care of her!" Envy smirks evilly, winking at Darby.

Scar glares at him, studying Envy's face as he watches Darby blush in embarrassment.

"What exactly happened in there?" Ed asks suspiciously, walking beside the girl.

Her heart beats fast in her chest as she tries to come up with a story. Adjusting his sleeves as a threat, Scar looks from Darby to Envy, taking note of the air between them.

"Oh, the usual.." Envy laughs; Scar narrowing his eyes, "Mental torture and humiliation- The fun stuff!"

Ed rolls his eyes at Envy as they walk on.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Ed asks the girl, looking at her sideways.

She nods her head, 'no' smiling back at him; Envy glaring at the sight.

"Sorry you got stuck out there." he says,"We didn't expect the blizzard to come so fast."

"It's okay- that blizzard was horrible." she says,"I didn't want you guys coming out in it."

"Just glad we all made it out okay." Ed says with a nod, walking ahead to join his brother.

Scar, however, continues to observe the couple's actions. The girl feels Envy's jealous gaze upon her, cautiously taking a look at him. Her eyes meet his, a slight redness filling their cheeks as they stare at one another.

"Are they following us?" Al asks worriedly, looking behind them every couple of steps.

"They're not in there anymore, if that's what you're wondering." Envy says out loud,"They're not following you, though."

"How do you know that?" Scar growls, glaring suspiciously at the homunculus.

"I just do, okay?" Envy snaps, calming down slightly as the girl slightly brushes against him.

"I think it's just something a homonculus can do." Darby says with a shrug.

With a grunt, Scar walks ahead of them; listening carefully to their surroundings. Sighing with relief, Darby extends her hand, smiling at Envy. With a smirk he grabs a hold of her hand as they follow behind the others in a hasty pace.

* * *

><p>The group continues hiking through the mountains, making their way towards Briggs fortress. Letting go of Envy's hand, the girl tries to hug herself for warmth.<p>

"It's so cold out here." she shivers, the chilly breeze surrounding them.

"Glad I can't feel a thing." Envy laughs,"I get to remain unaffected while I watch the rest of you suffer."

"You're lucky, Darby. I wish I could feel something." Al says, sinking into the snow with every step.

"Don't worry, Al- you'll be able to feel the cold soon." Ed says confidently.

"Where are we headed, Pipsqueak?" Envy says, annoyed.

"You'll see when we get there." Ed growls, walking ahead of them,"And, don't call me pipsqueak!"

The girl starts to slow her pace, allowing the others to walk on ahead of her.

Envy notices her actions, slowing himself down and walking backwards,"What exactly are you doing?"

"Trying to buy us a few minutes of time to talk." she says, observing the others.

"Well?" Envy says, impatiently,"Say it quick before pipsqueak _punishes_ you for talking to me."

"Are you going back to Pride and them?" she asks him, shivering at the thought of the evil blackness.

He smirks at her and shrugs, his mouth remaining shut.

"What are you planning?" she asks him impatiently,"Why aren't you talking?"

Envy laughs a little, coming to a stop and grabbing her into a hug.

"No! Stop!" she panics, trying to pull out of the hug.

Envy tightens his grip on her, bringing his mouth to her ear.

"Quit worrying!" he hisses, sending chills down her spine.

"I can't help it." she says with a frown,"You're the enemy. I'm not supposed to side with you."

"And?" Envy barks,"You didn't seem to care back in the cave!"

"I really like you, Envy." she says,"Regardless of whether you're the enemy or not."

Envy laughs, finding this humorous,"God, you humans are so weird!"

"I know. It's odd.." the girl says, sighing.

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm not siding with that pipsqueak!" Envy says, angrily.

"I'm not saying you have to side with him." the girl retorts, pulling away from him.

"But, then your little friends will think you're a traitor." Envy says with a smirk.

"I'm trying to be serious here, Envy." Darby sighs, stomping her foot.

"Looks like we're gonna have to cut this party short." Envy says, pointing his thumb towards the others,"Your little friends have noticed us."

Her face drained of color, Darby looks around Envy to see Edward heading towards them.

"What's going on?" he asks, eyeing them as he approaches.

The girl stutters but can't seem to bring herself to say anything.

"I was just picking on her, pipsqueak." Envy laughs,"Nothing you should be concerned about."

Ed glares at him,"Who are you calling a pipsqueak?!"

Envy raises his fist at him,"I am- shorty!"

Growling, Ed throws a punch at him, but misses as Envy dodges out of the way.

"Stop it, Envy." Darby says, holding out her arms and attempting to push him back.

Envy growls, shoving her out of the way,"Piss off!"

"Say that to my face!" Ed yells, throwing another punch at Envy.

"Both of you- stop." Darby says firmly, outstretching her arms.

Envy glares at her,"I said piss. off!"

"NO!" the girl shouts, slapping him hard across the face.

Ed looks shocked at her actions, watching as Envy angrily grabs her hands; squeezing them tightly. Darby clenches her teeth in pain as she feels her knuckles pop from the pressure of his hand. Glaring down at her evilly, Envy shoves her hands away and turns away. The girl's lower lip trembles as she rubs at her hands, flinching a little.

"We'll continue this at another time.." Envy says with an irritated sigh, heading towards the others.

Ed scratches his head in confusion,"What was that all about?"

Shaking her head, Darby shrugs and begins walking back to join the others. Ed follows after her, nodding at the others as they continue their journey. An awkward silence fills the air between the three of them as they walk on, none of them talking.

A frown plays upon Darby's face as she trudges on, staring down at her feet. Envy watches her out of the corner of his eye, irritated with the events that had just happened. The group trudges through the snow in silence.

"Hey, Ed?" the girl says, flexing her aching hands,"Where are we going?"

"To Brigg's Fortress." Ed says, continuing to face forward.

"Okay." the girl mumbles, going back to being quiet.

"Briggs Fortress?" Envy laughs,"Why are we going there?"

"None of your business." Ed barks, glaring at Envy over his shoulder.

"We're not too far, now." Al says, happily,"I can almost spot it!"

"Good. I'm freezing." Dr. Marcoh says, rubbing his hands together.

The stone fortress materializes before them, blocking off the sun. Happy to have found shelter, they pick up their pace, running towards the fortress. A whoosh fills the air, as a small grenade is set off within inches of Edward's feet. Jumping back with a yelp, Edward quickly scans the fortress for signs of life.

"Ha! Should have known better than to assume they'd welcome you with open arms!" Envy laughs.

"Brother? What's going on?!" Al says, worried as another grenade detonates nearby.

"I don't know, Al." Ed says, cautiously tiptoeing around the expended grenade.

He raises his arms above his head, slowly approaching the fortress.

"Stay here!" He commands them, walking forward on shaky legs. A shower of bullets rains down upon him, making him dance around like a lunatic. "Hello?!" he shouts, his arms still raised,"Don't shoot- we're not here to harm you!"

"Who are you?!" speaks a loud voice over an intercom,"Speak now or you'll regret ever coming here."

"My name is Edward Elric. I am a state Alchemist." he shouts,"This is my brother Alphonse, my companions, and our captive."

He slowly takes another step closer to the fortress. A bullet hits the ground where his left foot previously was, causing him to swallow a knot of nervousness in his throat.

"What do you want with us?" says the voice, this time more stern than feminine.

"I've come to try to get aid in battling the enemy." Ed explains, shaking a little.

"Enemy?" the voice says confused.

"Please- can you let us come inside?" Ed yells,"We're unarmed and freezing!"

"I don't think so." The voice barks,"I don't find you lot very trustworthy."

"Wait!" Darby shouts, slowly stepping up beside Ed,"What if we let you take us as captives? Would you listen to us, then?!"

The voice chuckles,"That's the funniest thing I've ever heard."

"So, is that a yes?" the girl asks hopefully.

"Alright, all of you raise your hands. If you come willingly, we may listen to what you have to say." the voice commands.

The group slowly raises their hands in the air; Envy growling in annoyance. A loud bang is heard as the gate to the fortress crashes opens. Some rustling is heard as a handful of armed State soldiers steps out and takes aim at them. A giant of a man steps forward and stares down at them.

"Ready to come with us?" he grunts.

Ed and the girl nod their heads 'yes', nervously looking at the man. The man grunts and gestures for them to follow him. They gather together and follow him inside. The other men raise their weapons and march behind them, shutting the gate.

They are greeted by darkness as the door slams behind them.

* * *

><p><em>I want to thank all you readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters out there who have stuck with me since I published this story. I shall continue taking your advice, reviews, and criticism to heart and will try my best to update this story and all my other stories more often.<em>

_If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to PM me or review my story._

_Thanks!_

_-RPG Girl._


	5. The Beast Makes Allies

They squint their eyes as a blinding white light fills the room.

"Sit." commands the voice from the intercom.

Their eyes adjust to the light, spotting a dark figure at the farthest end of a long; shiny wooden table. Surrounding the table like a bunch of groupies are a dozen or so hard; metal chairs. The group cautiously makes their way over to the table. Shielding his eyes from the light, Edward takes a seat beside the dark figure; noticing it's a woman. She glares at him, her hands crossed in front of her as she takes a seat. Growling under his breath; Darby pushing him from behind, Envy angrily takes a seat beside Ed. Nervously sitting beside Envy, the girl stifles a laugh as he scoots his chair away from Ed.

"Cut it out, Envy." she hisses at him quietly,"Shut up."

The woman glares at her and the couple quickly quietens down. Across from the three on the other side of the table, May, Alphonse, Doctor Marcoh and Scar take their seats. The woman's eyes scan the others as they make themselves comfortable; glaring suspiciously at Scar and all are seated, some soldiers scramble into the remaining seats while the others remain on guard duty.

"Now, talk." the woman commands, eyeing Edward,"What is this enemy you speak of?"

"Do you want the shortened version?" Edward asks her, running his hand over his face,"Or the long one?"

Sitting in place, the woman eyes the blonde up and down,"Tell me the long one. And, don't think about lying- we'll know."

Edward proceeds to tell her about his start of alchemy and the failed human transmutation that lead to their current journey. He then tells her of the Homunculi and their plans to use the citizens of their country to make a Philosopher's Stone. Their story met by straight faces and slight glares.

"So, we captured Envy, here, to help us out." Ed says with a smile,"He's stupid enough to have lead himself into a trap."

"Like you're one to talk, pipsqueak!" Envy mutters, bringing his fist against the table angrily and splintering it.

The woman sends a death glare at him,"Who the hell are you? If you're thinking of causing trouble, you're going to regret it."

"No! Please don't worry." the girl says quickly,"He is our prisoner. He's the homunculi standing for the sin envy."

"Ahh.. I see.." the woman says, holding her glare upon Envy,"So, exactly why did you come here?"

"We came to ask you for help." Ed explains,"_And_, to follow up on a lead that takes place underneath this fortress."

"And, what, exactly, would this lead be?" the woman asks, her hands clasped upon the table.

Envy laughs out loud,"If you think this _lead _only takes place underneath of this fortress, then you're an idiot."

The woman glares at him,"And, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"That it's funny pipsqueak here thinks he's on top of the game." Envy snorts, his arms crossed upon his chest.

Edward growls at him,"What the hell does that mean?!"

"This lead of yours isn't even a lead." Envy smirks,"There is no end to the tunnel."

Ed glares at him in confusion,"There is no end?"

"Hate to break it to you, pipsqueak, but the transmutation circle has been complete for a while, now." Envy says coolly.

"That can't be right!" Doctor Marcoh says, standing up in his seat.

"If it's complete, then why haven't they killed us yet?" Ed asks, eyeing the homunculus.

"Maybe we've been dead this whole time and just don't know it?!" Al panics,"And, this is all just a dream!"

"You're not dead." Scar says, glaring around the table,"Perhaps they simply have other matters that are more important."

"Well, well. Aren't you smart?" Envy sneers.

"So, what are these other matters, then?" May asks, standing up in her chair.

"The usual preparations. Making sure everything will go smoothly and none of you humans can interrupt." Envy explains.

"Hate to break it to you, but, this operation of yours won't be running smoothly for much longer." Ed says gleaming with confidence.

"Not like I care, twerp- that old man could rot in hell and I wouldn't even flinch." Envy shrugs nonchalantly,"I have nothing to do with him."

"If what he's saying is true, then we don't have a lot of time for preparations." the woman says, standing up abruptly.

"So, you're going to help us?" Ed says, shocked by her sudden change of tone.

"Like I said- if you were lying, we would know." the woman says, snapping her fingers.

The soldiers around the table snap to attention. With a nod of her head, the woman gestures towards the men close to the basement. She begins shouting out commands, the soldiers running around in different directions.

"Envy- does this mean you're going to help us find where this Father person is?" Darby asks, smiling slightly.

With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Envy agrees to help,"I won't be held responsible for anything that happens in those tunnels."

"Fine. Whatever. Just make yourself useful and show us the way." Scar grunts, standing up,"Then you can go die with the others."

"I ought to just kill you right now." Envy barks,"I could off you in seconds. Is that what you want, human?!"

"Knock it off, you two! We don't have time for this." Ed barks, taking a stand beside the woman.

"Right now we're supposed to be allies." Darby says, standing up and offering her hand to Envy,"This Father person is the enemy."

"Yeah, whatever." Envy sighs, standing up and slowly heading towards the basement stairs,"Let's just get this over with. He's _your _enemy, not mine."

"Let's go, then!" Ed says quickly, gesturing for the others to follow Envy.

Jumping down the basement stairs, Envy comes to a stop and shouts,"Come on, slow pokes- we ain't got all day!"

Ed growls as they make their way down the stairs, Envy smirking at the group. They come to a halt at the bottom, taking in the big; empty concrete room full of tanks. Running through the wall beside the stone stairs, they see a huge opening.

"That's the tunnel." Envy says gesturing with his thumb.

"We're going to follow it, then." Ed says, as he begins to walk towards the gaping hole.

"Do remember it's not just a single tunnel, Ed." Doctor Marcoh says placing a hand upon his shoulder.

"Thanks for the reminder." Ed says, cracking his knuckles with excitement.

"Send the homunculus first." Scar growls, taking a stand beside Edward.

With a snicker, Envy makes his way into the tunnel, followed closely by the others. The woman's shouts echo behind them as she commands her crew to follow the group into the tunnel; the footsteps of the soldiers filling the air.

Running past the others, Darby matches strides with Envy,"So, why hasn't father done anything yet?"

Envy yawns, stretching his arms above his head and looking up at the ceiling of the tunnel.

"He needs alchemists that have opened the gate to be his human sacrifices." Envy explains.

The girl looks at him with fear in her eyes,"What?! Why Edward and Al?"

"Sacrifices?!" Al panics, stopping in his tracks,"Brother- we can't go find this person."

"Don't listen to him, Al." Ed says, walking a little faster,"We're going to find this father person and kill him!"

Shaking a little, Al continues to walk as May pats him upon the helmet.

The girl lingers back and grabs a hold of his hand for comfort,"Ignore Envy. We won't allow Father to lay even one finger on you two."

Envy frowns over his shoulder, wandering angrily ahead of the others,"Get a move on!"

The groups picks up the pace, following the homunculus leader in silence. An uneasy feeling overcomes Envy as he passes a crack in the wall. With a bang, a cloud of dust and debris fills the tunnel; quickly settling to the ground. A bunch of strange looking; white humanoids covered in alchemic symbols rush out of the hole.

"What are these?!" Ed yells, clapping his hands together and sending a spike through one of them.

"They're mannequin soldiers." Envy grunts, punching a nearby humanoid as it bites at his arm.

Al, May, and the girl begin punching and kicking the nearby soldiers as Scar sends his hand through their heads. Envy laughs hysterically as he punches the surrounding soldiers, small Philosopher Stones falling out of their heads. One by one, he pops them into his mouth as he continues fighting through the crowd. The girl shivers a little as he runs past her, beheading a nearby soldier with glee. She turns to punch a soldier behind her, dodging the attack of another.

"How many are there?" Ed growls angrily, stabbing a soldier through its eye with his sword.

"Not enough..." Envy says, finishing off one of the remaining soldiers and swallowing its stone.

Scar grabs the last soldier and sends his arm through its face; the body falling to the floor. Envy kicks at the bodies angrily; a red glint in his eye as he watches them flop.

"Stop it, Envy." the girl says, approaching him,"You're acting creepy."

Envy glares at her before continuing his way down the tunnel. The others step around the bodies as they follow behind him.

"Are we getting close?" Al asks, becoming scared again.

Envy laughs with a smirk,"You realize this tunnel completely encircles your whole country, right?"

"We can't possibly walk that long and far!" Doctor Marcoh says, his jaw clenched.

"What else can we do?" Darby says, looking worriedly at the others.

Watching the anxiety play upon the girl's face, Envy sighs in frustration.

"You do realize I was just kidding, right?" he laughs,"We'll eventually reach headquarters."

"What?" Ed says, glaring at him angrily,"But, you just said-!"

"There is going to be a side tunnel, soon." Envy says with a smirk,"It'll lead directly to headquarters. Briggs is the closest place to the base."

"Why didn't you just tell us this?" the girl says, irritably,"It's not nice to worry us before a confrontation."

"Guess I thought it would be funny to watch you panic." he shrugs.

Ed glares at him, pushing past him and continuing down the hall.

"Quick to die, huh, pipsqueak?!" Envy shouts after him.

"Stop picking on my brother!" Al says, walking after his brother,"Brother! Wait for me!"

"Why don't you just be quiet?" Scar says, glaring at Envy,"Before you end up like the other humunculii."

Envy glares at him, his jaw set tightly; his hands clenched into fists,"Is that a threat?"

"What happened to the others?" the girl asks, curiously.

"Lust was murdered by Wrath." Scar explains,"And, Edward killed Greed in a fight."

"Father killed Gluttony." Envy snarls quietly, his hands bruising as he clenches them tighter.

Darby frowns at Envy,"Who is this father person anyways? What's he to you guys and why does he want to kill us?"

"He's the guy who created me." Envy says, annoyed,"He's the first humunculus. He wants God's powers."

"He's our enemy and leave it at that." Scar says, glaring at Envy,"That bastard doesn't deserve an identity."

"So, there are only four homunculii left?" Doctor Marcoh says, a hint of joy in his voice.

"Hey, dumbass!" Envy barks,"Have you forgotten I'm not your enemy?!"

With a shriek, Doctor Marcoh quickly runs after the Elric brothers.

Darby grips Envy's arm tightly, glaring at him,"Stop arguing, Envy."

Envy rolls his eyes, yanking her hand off of his arm.

"I'm serious, Envy." she snaps,"You can't treat allies this way."

"What the hell are you getting so touchy about?" Envy barks at her.

"You!" she yells at him as Scar walks away uninterested.

"Me?!" he shouts, brandishing a fist in her face.

Both of them stand there, staring the other down.

"What the hell did I do?" He growls, spit flying from his mouth.

"You're being an inconsiderate asshole." the girl fumes,"We could possibly be walking into death and you don't even care!"

Her words echo down the tunnel, causing Al to stop in his tracks.

* * *

><p>"Death. Everyone keeps saying we're going to die." he says sadly,"Brother- I don't want to die."<p>

The group comes to a stop as Ed walks over to Al to comfort him.

"Don't let their words get to you." he says listlessly,"I won't let you die. Not when I'm around."

"But, still- you can't deny that what Darby says is true." Al sighs,"We really could die once we find this Father person."

With a deep sigh, Ed stretches his arms above him,"That's true, Al. But, we can't just give up and let it happen."

"Why have we stopped?" Scar growls, looking around the group.

"I think it would be a good idea to let Al compose himself." Ed explains, smiling at his brother.

"And, what about them?" Scar says, glaring suspiciously down the hall,"Don't you find their actions odd?"

"In some ways, yes." Ed says with a nod,"I'll go and see what I can do."

Grunting in understanding, Scar watches Ed head in the direction of the fighting couple.

* * *

><p>"Oh? So, I'm an asshole now?" Envy growls, his arms crossed tightly,"I've done nothing but help you puny humans and this is the thanks I get?!"<p>

Darby sighs, avoiding his eyes,"You've been scaring everyone, withholding information and ignoring my _questions_."

At the word questions, she attempts to shove him away; Envy snickering at her attempt.

"You're this upset because I didn't answer your stupid questions?" he smirks.

The girl looks up at him angrily,"_Yes_."

"Well, fine. I'll answer your stupid questions." he barks,"Just stop getting so upset at me."

The girl smiles a little as he runs his hands through his hair.

"Well? Fire away!" he says leaning against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest.

"First question: Are you still our enemy or are you with us?" she asks, crossing her arms.

Envy cracks his knuckles,"Let's just say I'm with _you_."

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asks him, befuddled.

"What I'm saying is, I'm on _your_ side, idiot!" he says with a smirk.

A big smile spreads across the girl's face, causing a slight redness to form in Envy's cheeks. Stepping away from the wall, Envy quickly grabs her into a tight hug.

"Why would you think I was the enemy, stupid?" he whispers.

"You've just been acting strange ever since we got here." she says, looking up at him.

Standing on her tiptoes and blushing, she reaches up and nervously kisses him. With an evil smirk, he bends down and returns the kiss forcefully. Ed approaches the couple, his face turning bright red at the scene before him. Clearing his throat quietly, he waits for them to pull away from one another.

"W-what is going on here?" he stutters nervously.

The girl gasps in embarrassment, stepping away from Envy.

"None of your business, pipsqueak!" Envy says, glaring at the blonde boy.

Ignoring the homunculus, Ed turns toward the girl,"What's going on, Darby?"

The girl takes a deep sigh and turns away from him, blushing. Envy crosses his arms angrily as he watches Edward place a hand upon the girl's shoulder.

"It's okay. You don't have to worry." he says, smiling gently at her,"Just tell me what you two were doing."

"N-nothing.." the girl says, hiding her face behind her hands.

A heavy feeling instantly builds in Envy's chest, causing him to feel upset.

"Like hell it was nothing!" he shouts, glaring furiously at the two. The girl frowns, turning back around and placing her hand upon Envy's arm.

"Envy- I didn't mean it." she says softly, grabbing a hold of his arm. His eyes bore into hers as she approaches him with her other hand.

"I'm embarrassed. Don't you understand that?" she says, pleading him with her eyes. He takes a step back from her, his hands balled into fists.

"You humans are all the same." he growls, slapping her hands away.

Darby flinches as he turns away from her and walks towards the others. She exhales as she leans against the nearby wall.

Ed nervously takes a stand beside her,"What's going on between you and Envy?"

She avoids his gaze and shrugs, kicking at the dirt,"It's nothing."

Ed scratches his head,"If it was nothing, why did I see you and him hugging?"

The girl's face turns a deep shade of red,"We sorta..like each other."

Ed clears his throat nervously,"Oh..."

"Well, now you know the truth." she says, holding her arms out to be cuffed,"I accept my punishment."

"Don't worry about it." he says, holding up his hands,"Thank you for telling me the truth."

"Y-you're not going to take me prisoner for fraternizing with the enemy?" Darby says shocked.

"There's nothing wrong with liking someone." he smiles,"And, Envy's helped us this far without betraying us."

"Th-thank you, Ed." she says, hugging him excitedly.

Blushing, he returns the hug,"I'll look away from now on."

"We should go back." she says, gesturing towards the others,"Sorry to keep you guys waiting."

"Don't worry about it." he says with a smile.

They walk together in silence down the hall.

* * *

><p><em>I apologize to my fellow readers whom I promised to have this chapter and possibly another chapter done by last week. I've been having a lot of dental work done, lately. All four of my wisdom teeth cracked in half and I have been having examinations to determine if I need to get them pulled, which, I just found out is going to happen on April 24th! I'm a little nervous but luckily I've had surgery before! Only bad part is, I barely get any painkillers for the pain!<em>

_I want to thank all you readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters out there who have stuck with me since I published this story. I shall continue taking your advice, reviews, and criticism to heart and will try my best to update this story and all my other stories more often._

_If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to PM me or review my story._

_Thanks!_

_-RPG Girl._


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

Darby and Ed show up to find the others resting against the walls.

"Brother.." Al says, walking up to Ed,"I think I'm ready to continue on."

"I think we all are, Al." Ed says, patting his brother upon the arm.

Darby takes note of Envy, kicking the dirt angrily. She nods her head at him, only to have him glare.

Acknowledging one another, the group continues on down the hall in silence.

* * *

><p>"Are we any closer?" Al asks a few moments later, his armor clanking loudly.<p>

"Nope." Ed shrugs, walking on ahead of him.

Al sighs and adjusts May on his shoulders,"Are we ever going to get there?"

"Something better happen soon, because I'm getting really irritated." Ed growls, walking faster.

"Tiring yourself out isn't going to do you any good." Doctor Marcoh says,"So, best to slow down, Edward."

With a sigh, Ed slows down, right as the sounds of an explosion echoes down the tunnel behind them.

"What was that?!" Doctor Marcoh yells, spinning around to face where they came from.

The others do the same, trying to listen for a sign as to what happened.

"More mannequin soldiers?" Scar growls, rolling up his sleeve.

"It's Sloth." comes the voice of Envy as he makes his way through the group.

Another explosion rattles the tunnel, causing Envy to frown in annoyance.

"Is he following us?" Darby asks him, approaching him cautiously.

"I can't tell." he says, his hand on his hip,"I do know that woman and her soldiers are fighting him."

They continue listening to the explosions, standing there in the dark.

* * *

><p>A few moments later, a tremor shakes the tunnel; the entrance they had come from collapsing.<p>

The explosions come to an end as the silence takes over once more.

"Is it over?" May says, listening carefully.

"Make that two homunculi, now." Envy scoffs.

"Sloth is... dead?" Doctor Marcoh says surprised.

Envy nods his head,"Sure as hell seems like it. I can't sense him anymore."

"So, that just leaves Wrath and Pride, then." Ed says with a smirk.

Envy glares at him,"I wouldn't get too excited, yet, Pipsqueak!"

Ed glares at him,"And, why not?"

"The others may be easy to kill, but, Father is a whole different story." he explains.

"We'll see about that." Ed says confidently, turning around and continuing down the hall.

Darby nervously walks up to Envy as the others follow after Ed. He sneers at her as she grabs for his hand, a frown upon her face.

"What do you want?" he growls, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm sorry." she says quietly, squeezing his hand,"Please forgive me."

A smirk plays upon his face,"I rather like you begging me for forgiveness."

Her cheeks redden at the evil grin upon his face.

"I'm being serious, Envy." she says, avoiding his gaze.

"Then quit saying stupid things, idiot." he says, messing up her hair.

Darby blushes a little, looking up at him,"So, you forgive me then?"

"What're you talking about, stupid?" he says, rolling his eyes,"I'm talking to you now, aren't I?"

With a smirk, Darby pulls his hand and leads him down the tunnel to join the others.

* * *

><p>They catch up with the group right as a small flicker of light is spotted in the distance.<p>

"Oh, look! We found the tunnel!" Al shouts happily.

"And, so you did." Envy says, rolling his eyes,"Whoop-dee-doo!"

"You said this leads to headquarters?" Scar says, eyeing Envy.

"Can't process information, stupid?" Envy growls, irritated,"That's what I said earlier."

"Well, we can't go back now." Ed says, walking into the new hall,"We'll just have to take our chances, then!"

With an excited laugh, Edwards runs ahead of the group, into the light.

"Brother, wait for us!" Al yells, as they head after him.

The girl pulls Envy with her, following the others down the hall.

"You better now be lying to us, vermin." Scar growls at Envy.

Envy laughs a little and glares at him,"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Envy, we don't have many other choices. Please tell me you're not lying." The girl says sternly.

"Okay, fine. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Envy says with a smirk,"I'm not lying. Scout's honor."

"So, if this leads to headquarters, Wrath and Pride will be there, correct?" She asks him.

"They should be." Envy says, yawning,"It's not like I track their every move."

"Where's Ed?" Al says, worriedly, after a few minutes of walking,"We still haven't ran into him."

"He's probably running." May says, looking around the hall.

"Brother?!" Al shouts, his voice echoing down the hall.

"Edward!" the girl shouts, her voice echoing with his.

"Lost the pipsqueak, eh?", Envy laughs,"Tiny little thing, ain't he?"

"It's not funny!" Al says, panicking.

Al continues yelling for Ed as they make their way through the dark hallway.

"I don't think he's here." Doctor Marcoh says, squinting in the dark.

Al whimpers a little, shouting for him one last time,"Brother!"

"Will you shut up?!" comes a snappy hiss from Ed.

They quietly make their way towards his voice, greeted by more darkness. Only, this darkness is bigger than the hall as they look around.

"We made it?" Al whispers quietly, trying to look around.

"This is the basement to headquarters." Envy yawns again.

"There's some talking in the next room." Ed says, quietly, gesturing to a half open door.

A small amount of light trickles out of the door and lights up the room.

"That must be the light we were seeing." Darby says, watching it flicker.

"Try to keep it down. It could be this 'father' person." Ed whispers, making his way to the door.

"Trust me when I say that's not father." Envy says, walking towards the door,"He'd have noticed us by now."

Tiptoeing, the others make their way across the basement and towards the next room.

"Brave enough to attack the Flame Alchemist, are you?" comes an all too familiar voice.

"That sounds like Colonel Mustang!" Al says surprised, following behind his brother.

Quietly, Ed opens the rest of the door to see Colonel Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye to his left. And standing before them is none other than King Bradley.

"Well, I'll be sure to make you a funeral Pyre!" Roy growls and snaps his fingers, sending a wave of flames towards him.

"How very arrogant you are, Colonel." Bradly says, with a smirk, appearing behind Roy,"Pretending that you can end me easily."

He swings his sword at Colonel Mustang, slightly cutting Roy's arm before Roy retreats. Turning on his heel, Roy sends wave after wave of flames at Bradley. The group stands there watching; Bradley dodging each wave.

"Talking like a big shot. Come on- kill me, then!" Roy snarls, flashing more flames at him while trying to dodge his attack.

Bradley laughs a little,"Oh, so you were giving it your all, then?"

"I haven't even gotten started." Roy growls, sending more flames in his direction.

"Roy, look out!" Riza yells, Roy barely managing to dodge a blow from Bradley.

"Good, because neither have I." Bradley smirks, lifting his eye patch to reveal an ouroboros.

Roy glares at him,"Imagine that- you're one of _them_. I knew we were heading straight for hell."

Bradley disappears before Roy can even blink and appears at his side; Riza gasping in surprise.

"Too late!" he says with a smile and stabs his sword straight through Roy's side.

Roy falls to his knees in pain as Bradley lifts his sword up again to strike.

Small tears form in Riza's eyes,"Roy, no!"

"I can't let you do that, Wrath!" Ed growls, jumping between him and Roy.

Wrath smiles at him,"Saving your friend, are you? I see he's already tired out. What a pity."

"This is my fight." Roy says through clenched teeth,"Leave us be, Fullmetal."

"Sorry, Colonel, but you're in no condition to fight." Riza says, approaching him.

"I'm fine, let me be!" Roy snaps, trying to stand up.

Riza puts her arm around him and helps him up,"Come on, Colonel, let's go."

Roy grunts a little as he stands, leaning on Riza as they walk towards the group. Doctor Marcoh runs over and helps Riza out while Ed and Wrath begin sword fighting. Wrath disappearing and reappearing quickly and Ed doing constant flips and dodges.

"Be careful, Brother!" Al shouts, watching them nervously.

"He'll be fine." the girl says, placing a hand upon his shoulder and smiling up at him. Al nods his head as he watches Ed dodge Wrath's sword.

"Really too bad about Colonel Mustang." Wrath says, swinging his sword at Edward. Ed jumps over his sword and swings his sword at him.

"Really too bad about you getting so old." Ed says with a smirk, swinging his sword again. Wrath glares at him and hits him hard in the face with his sword hilt, laughing as he cries out in pain.

Wrath sneers,"You're too easy to beat. You humans are so weak." He swings his sword, narrowly missing Ed and cutting the end off of his braid instead.

"No.. you're too easy!" Ed yells, jamming his sword straight into Wrath's belly.

Wrath's eyes widen in shock as he tries to hit Edward with his sword but misses.

He gasps a little and falls to his knees, "If only I didn't have to age.."

Ed watches him fall forward onto the ground; his blood pooling around him.

"..one left.." he says in pain, walks towards the group and gripping at his eye.

"What is he doing here?!" Roy growls, glaring up at Envy.

"He's on our side." the girl says quickly,"No need to get angry at one another."

Roy eyes her,"Who the hell are you?"

"She's with us." Ed explains, sitting beside him,"She's the one who helped guard Envy."

Roy eyes her suspiciously, allowing Riza to help him lean against the wall.

"What are you doing here, Colonel?" Al asks.

"We could ask the same of you guys." Riza says, in place of Mustang.

"Well, we came to Brigg's fortress on a lead." Ed explains,"But then Envy told us our lead was wrong."

"He told you something and you believed him?" Roy growls, slouching sideways from the pain in his stomach.

"Yes, Colonel, he believed me." Envy says condescendingly, causing Roy to glare at him.

"As I was saying Colonel, he explained to us that their transmutation circle has already been complete under our country." Ed Explains.

"Transmutation Circle? Under the Country? What the hell are you talking about?!" Roy says annoyed.

Ed quickly fills him in, causing the two soldiers to eye Envy suspiciously.

"So, then, you came to meet this father person?" Roy says, confused.

"That's correct, Colonel." Edward says, nodding his head.

As they continue talking about the situation, Envy walks over to Wrath and kneels down beside his face. Wrath lies there, breathing heavily, holding on to his last bits of life. His blood pools around him, sparkling with alchemic power.

"Looks like you went and got yourself killed." Envy laughs evilly,"Foolish old man!"

"Go..away..." Wrath pants, swatting at Envy.

Envy cackles and begins dancing around him,"Come on, old man, die already!"

The girl watches him in disgust as he kneels back down beside his face,"You dead yet?"

Wrath glares at him, his hand fumbling at the sword by his side.

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?!" Envy laughs,"Too bad you're dead and I don't give a shit!"

At this, his arm transforms into the usual black point and he impales Wrath right through the head. The girl, May, and Al gasping in shock and disgust at his actions. Envy cackles with delight, as he begins to stomp upon Wrath's body. Disgusted, Darby walks over to him.

"Envy, cut it out." She says, her jaw tight with anger; only to be ignored by him. Angry, the girl comes around the opposite side of Wrath and glares at him.

"I said, stop." she growls.

Envy smiles at her evilly,"But I thought he was your enemy?"

"He was..." she says,"Still doesn't mean you have to disrespect the dead."

Envy laughs,"What are you- A moron?! I'll never understand you humans."

"You seemed to understand me enough to listen to me these past couple of days.." She says, her jaw clenched.

"Yeah, well..." Envy begins, annoyed, trailing off a little,"..whatever.."

"Just stop desecrating his body, please?" she says looking up into his eyes.

Taking the hint, Envy stops stomping on the body.

"...fine.." he sighs, causing Darby to smile.

"And, can you please stop making fun of humans?" she asks him.

Smirking, Envy agrees,"Fine.. but only if you'll stop getting upset. It pisses me off."

Envy averts his eyes, actually appearing embarrassed.

"Don't be shy." she says with a smile,"Like I said, I love that you're showing emotions, now!"

Envy blushes and hugs her to his chest.

"It doesn't mean I'm human, though.." he growls.

"I know, I know." she giggles.

Envy smiles down at her, causing her to blush.

"What the hell is going on here?" Roy barks, limping towards them.

"Colonel, it's best if we just leave them alone." Ed says nervously, trying to get him to back down.

"Why?! So she can fraternize with the enemy and then betray us in the end?!" Mustang spits.

The girl nervously shakes her head,"I'm not fraternizing with the enemy- I'm on your side.. Envy's on your side."

Roy glares at her,"Quit talking to me, traitor!"

"Colonel, I believe you should calm yourself before you cause yourself more stress." Riza says, with her hand upon his shoulder.

Colonel turns to face Riza as she gently caresses his cheek.

"Fine." he snaps and she helps him back to his spot on the wall.

"May?" Al says,"And Doctor Marcoh- can you help heal Ed and Mustang before we continue on?"

"I'll see what I can do." Doctor Marcoh says, digging through his pockets.

"And I'll use my alkahestry to heal Mr. Mustang." May says, rushing over to Roy.

"We'll all have a few minute's rest to ready ourselves for this final fight." Ed says nervously,"It may be our last fight."

"Don't say it that way, brother." Al says, quietly.

"You musn't feel that way" Darby adds,"If you think that way, then it will be our last fight cause we'll be..."

She chokes up at the thought of death.

"Dead?" Envy says with a slight smirk.

The girl looks up at him sadly, frowning at the thought of dying.

"I really don't want to die, you know." she says, sadly.

Envy looks down at her,"Oh, come on! Don't go crying on me!"

Small tears form in the corners of her eyes,"Is this father person.. powerful?"

A look of nervousness crosses his face,"Well, he did destroy the country of Xerxes..."

The girl looks down at her feet, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Stop!" Envy yells, placing his hands upon her shoulders,"Don't cry, dammit!"

She quickly wraps her arms around him, crying into his chest.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" she cries.

Envy looks down at her and sighs,"No one is going to die, idiot!"

She looks up at him, noticing the smirk upon his face,"How can you be so confident?"

"You forget- I'm not human." He says,"And, besides- nothing is going to happen to you while i'm here."

A smile brightens up Darby's face and she hugs him tightly. Noticing the look upon her face, Envy blushes and quickly pulls away; a strange feeling overcoming him.

"Is everything okay?" Darby asks, watching him turn away from her; his hands upon his chest.

"Just give me some time to think, okay?" he says, before quickly running out of the room.

Darby watches him leave, confused by his sudden change in attitude.

* * *

><p>I'm really glad the girl finally gets to expose her feelings to Envy and that the others are kind of just accepting him into their group.<p>

Killing off the enemy is also fun, too! And having a chance to bring out the viciousness in Envy is really fun! :3

I want to thank all you readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters out there who have stuck with me since I published this story. I shall continue taking your advice, reviews, and criticism to heart and will try my best to update this story and all my other stories more often.

If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to PM me or review my story.

Thanks!

-RPG Girl.


	7. The Storm Rages On

Darby exits the basement and wanders the hallway, looking around for Envy. Not more than a few feet from the doorway, she spots him leaning against the wall; staring off into space. She approaches him cautiously and leans against the wall beside him.

"Envy?" she says, placing a hand upon his shoulder.

He stands there in silence, continuing his stare off with the opposite wall. With a sigh, she lays her head upon his shoulder and closes her eyes.

"Still feel like you're going to die?" he says, causing her to open her eyes and look up at him.

"What's wrong, Envy?" she asks him, watching him frown.

"It's nothing, really.." he says,"I just got this weird feeling when I said I'd protect you."

Darby blushes a little, grabbing his hand and holding it in his,"Tell me about this.. feeling."

His face slightly red, Envy grasps her hand and brings it to his chest.

A smile spreads across Darby's face and she leans up to kiss him upon the cheek.

"That happens to me, too." she says nervously, watching his blush darken.

"Gah.. feelings.." Envy sighs, irritated,"It's getting so annoying!"

"I'm kinda liking it." Darby shrugs, gripping his hand tightly,"It makes things more interesting."

"Yeah, whatever.." Envy says, smiling down at her,"We should probably head back."

Nodding in agreement, they stand up, holding hands and smirking at one another.

They head down the hallway slowly, readying themselves for the upcoming battle.

"Stop worrying about this fight, okay?" Envy says, rustling up Darby's hair,"We're not going to die."

Darby throws her arm around his waist as they continue down the hall.

* * *

><p>The atmosphere feels somewhat more relaxed as the two of them enter the room.<p>

They find a less injured Colonel Mustang leaning against a blushing Riza's shoulder, sound asleep.

Ed leans against the wall, his eye barely showing signs of injury.

"Welcome back." he says nodding at them both.

The girl walks over to the group, smiling at May and Al; Scar glaring at her and Envy.

"You seem much happier, Al." Darby says happily.

"I am!" Al says with a nod,"If we let our fear get the best of us, we'll lose this battle- that's what brother said."

"I couldn't agree more." Darby says, smirking up at him.

Ed steps away from the wall and stretches,"Let's get this over with. Colonel, are you with us?"

Riza shakes Roy awake and he grunts a little,"...huh..huh..what?!"

"We're ready!" Riza says, reloading her gun; blushing down at the man beside her.

Scar pushes back his sleeves as Marcoh grabs out a small dagger from his pocket.

"Are you ready Al?" Ed says happily,"We're going to get your body back!"

"And your arm and leg, too, brother!" Al says happily.

"Then, let's go." May says, grabbing a hold of Al's hand.

They ready themselves for the battle as Ed leads them toward the other door in the room.

"Well, this is it, you guys." Ed says bravely,"Once we're through this door, there is no saying what will happen next."

Al and Ed pat each other upon the shoulders, nodding at each other. Riza looks at Roy and smiles at him, both of them slightly blushing as they ready their weapons of choice. May grabs a hold of Doctor Marcoh's hand, smiling up at him. Envy grabs Darby's hand and squeezes it, smiling down at her. With a blush, Darby winks at him.

"Everyone ready?" Ed says, gripping the door handle. He pulls on it and the door begins to swing open. A jumble of wires and tubes strewn upon the ground and around the door greets them as they file into the room.

* * *

><p>"Welcome...Welcome..." booms an evil voice.<p>

The atmosphere in the room grows heavy as the door slams shut behind them. Al shivers a little as May hides behind his leg. The girl grips Envy's hand hard as she looks up at the bright figure of a man sitting upon a chair; wires flowing out of it in all directions. Ed and Al gasp as the man stands up and places a hand upon Pride's shoulder.

"Father?!" Al says, confused.

"No, Al, that's not our father- although he looks almost identical." Ed says, glaring at the white figure.

"So nice of you to have come." the man says evilly,"I've been waiting for so long. Who do I have to thank for bringing you here?"

He looks around the group and rests his eyes upon Envy.

"Ahh.. Envy..." he says with a smirk,"You did a good job."

"Like hell I did!" Envy snaps,"I didn't bring them to you- they came on their own. Besides, I'm not doing your damn bidding anymore, old man!"

The man cackles; his voice echoing through the room.

"Like it matters anymore?" he says evilly,"You'll all be dead soon enough."

Pride laughs a little,"Awe.. does it have to end? I was having fun."

The man glares down at Pride, an evil red glint in his eyes.

"Yes, so sorry." he says, evilly.

All of a sudden Pride's eyes widen as Father begins to cackle. Pride screams as, all of a sudden, a swirling dark matters floats away from Father and surrounds him. Father's cackles and Pride's screams echo around the room as slowly but surely Pride disappears; Father having absorbed him.

"Looks like it's your turn, now, Fullmetal." Father says evilly, turning towards him.

Ed eyes him as his skin and body begin to turn as black as the night. They watch the Father they had met transform into a dark black humanoid, their weapons and wills at ready. The girl gasps as millions of eyes and an evil mouth open all over Father's new body. A high pitch cackle rings through the room as a surge of power explodes around them, flinging them back against the wall. They scramble to get to their feet as father draws nearer to them.

"Rise." he says, stopping before them.

Shivers run through the girl's spine as she takes a stand between Envy and Edward. The dark black figure stands before them, waves of black tentacles sprouting from all over him. Ed claps his hands together and turns his metal arm into a sword. He lunges at Father, only to be thrown back by a tentacle. Jumping off of the nearby wall and back at Father, he slices off a tentacle only to have another regrow in its place.

Father swings his tentacles at them, laughing. The tentacles dance around, breaking holes in the walls and creating sparks from the damaged wires.

The girl jumps backwards, barely dodging a tentacle. She begins to quickly trace a transmutation circle in the sand.

May jumps at the tentacle sending sparks down it and towards father only to have them blocked by an alchemic shield. Father turns towards her and swings another tentacle, only to be blocked by Al who sends a wave of spikes from the ground. The spikes deteriorate when they hit the shield and are followed by a wave of flames from Mustang.

A nearby tentacle slams into the wall beside the girl as she finishes drawing her circle.

"The hell are you doing?!" Envy growls, snapping the tentacle in half.

"Getting myself a weapon!" she barks, slamming her hands into the circle.

Her staff appears and she grabs it, swinging at an incoming tentacle. The tentacle rebounds off of it and deteriorates from a bullet Riza shot off. Envy turns his arms into scythes and begins hacking at the tentacles. The tentacles fall off and wither away into dust only to be replaced by new ones.

Envy howls with laughter,"Being killed by your own creation! How does it feel, old man?!"

Father turns towards him and laughs,"You think you're going to kill me, Envy? How foolish of you."

He sends a wave of tentacles which are instantly blocked by a wall of earth summoned by the girl. Envy smirks at her from behind the wall, then cuts the wall in half.

"Enough." Father says, snapping his tentacles back inside of him,"It is time."

The room begins to light up with a bright red light. Everyone shields their eyes as the light becomes brighter and brighter. Red sparks begin to erupt from the chair in the middle of the room, shooting out the exit and around the room. The girl begins to scream as the light pierces through her lids and what feels like her soul. She falls to the ground, paralyzed. Envy looks around at the others, all of them fallen upon the ground, screaming.

"I..I can't move!" Ed growls, trying to lift his arm.

"What's going on?!" Al yells from beside the girl.

"I am going to enjoy your deaths." Father says with a smile,"Your sacrifices shall bring me the power of the eye of God."

"The.. Eye of God?" Scar growls, glaring up at Father.

Envy looks down at the girl on the ground beside him.

"Why can't I move?! What's going on?!" she shouts.

The sparks become more powerful and begin to encircle those fallen upon the ground.

"Don't worry." Envy says, staring down at the girl as she begins to scream again.

"The process has begun." Father says, raising his arms to the ceiling,"Soon, the power will be mine!"

Then he turns towards Envy,"I have no use of you, Envy. Come back to me so I can absorb your power."

"Like hell I will!" Envy growls,"I'd rather die than help you, old man!"

"No matter. The eye is almost open to me." Father says, looking up at the ceiling,"This country will be nothing but ruins when I'm finished."

"Hate to break it to you.."Envy says as he starts to shape-shift his body into his true form,"But I can't let you do that."

His arms and legs begin to elongate; his spine and body stretch to outrageous proportions as he transforms into his true form. The Souls of millions of Xerxians ooze out of his body as he grows bigger, their screams and shrieks filling the air. The giant lizard form of Envy swings its tail at Father who blocks it with his alchemic shield.

"Enough of this, Envy, you're going to destroy this building." Father snaps, flicking his tentacles at Envy.

With a swipe of his green claw, Envy slices the tentacles in half.

"Why don't you just die?!" Envy roars, as he swings his tail around the room, knocking out the nearest wall.

A rumble begins to echo throughout the room as the ceiling and walls begin to crack. The light begins to disappear as rubble starts to fall from the ceiling. Everyone upon the ground begins to come to, slowly sitting up.

"What's going on?" Ed says, getting off of the ground.

Envy continues growing in size as the room begins to fall around him.

"Envy?" the girl says, looking around in confusion,"Where's Envy?!"

"Get out of here!" Envy roars from above them.

The girl looks up and her eyes widen in shock as she sees what Envy has become.

"How can that be Envy?! I thought he was an artificial human! That isn't a human!" She yells as Ed begins to pull her arm.

"Come on- We need to get out of here!" May yells as Al and her run for the door they came from.

"We need to get out of here! Come on, get up!" Ed says, pulling the girl towards the entrance,"Don't worry about him! That doesn't matter right now!"

The girl quickly stands up and rushes out of the room with the rest of the group. They barely make it out as the ceiling collapses against the door.

"How are we gonna fight Father now?!" Ed yells, punching the wall.

"Brother- can't we just break through the ceiling?!" Al says pointing up.

"Good idea, Al!" Ed says as he turns towards Scar,"Scar- I'll make the ground push us up through the ceiling if you'll break the ceiling."

Scar nods his head 'yes' as they stand together in a small circle. Ed claps his hands together and hits the ground below their feet. A column of earth rises from the ground as they shoot up. Scar manages to destroy the ceiling before their heads had touched it.

* * *

><p>They soon arrive above the hallway they were in, the whole headquarters building having collapsed around them. To their left stands Father in the same spot he was before the building collapsed. Al gasps as they spot a giant eye in the sky above them, blocking out the rays of the sun.<p>

"The eye of truth?" Ed says shocked, his eyes wide open,"Why would that be out here!?"

"Brother- I think this is the Eye of God Father was talking about." Al says, staring up at the sky.

"What is this Eye?" Darby asks, looking up at it.

"The Eye of Truth is what you see when you try to do something against nature like human transmutation." Doctor Marcoh explains.

"We tried to bring back our mother." Ed says sadly, looking over at the girl, unaware that the Eye of God is getting bigger.

"We don't have time for this!" Scar says, rudely pointing at the sky.

Ed looks up and is surprised to see that the Eye had grown nearly double the size it was mere moments ago.

"What are we supposed to do?!" The girl says, watching as Envy jumps around Father, swinging his tail and claws at him to no avail.

"We just have to stop him, somehow!" Ed yells as he begins to climb down the rubble back into the room they had been in.

"Just be careful, Edward." comes an oddly familiar voice from behind them.

Ed stops in his tracks,"Father?"

He turns around and is struck hard in the chest by his feelings of anger, anguish, and sadness. His eyes widen with shock as, standing before him and Al, is the figure of their father.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Ed yells, running towards him and swiping his fist at him.

His fist hits Hohenheim hard across the face. Hohenheim stares down at him, his expression blank.

"I've come to finish what I started." he says simply.

"What do you mean by that?!" Ed yells at him,"Why did you leave us?!"Ed's hands ball into fists, his jaw tight with anger.

"I made a mistake long ago, Edward." Hohenheim explains,"This Father- he came to be as he is now, because of me."

Ed stares at him,"What do you mean? How?!"

"That doesn't matter." Hohenheim says, ignoring Ed's questions,"We need to kill Father and close the eye of God before it's too late."

"But, how are we supposed to do that?" Ed says, annoyed,"He's virtually untouchable!"

"Not if I attack him, he's not." Hohenheim explains,"Continue fighting him. Buy me some time. I'll end this in one shot."

Ed glares at him,"Fine. But no flaking out this time!"

Ed and the rest of the group begin to climb down the rubble. The building continues rumbling as Envy jumps around Father, dodging his tentacles. They make their way to the ground, taking shelter as rubble flies towards them having been thrown by Envy's landing feet. Envy lands in front of them, ensuring not to hit them with his tail.

"This is pointless!" Envy growls.

His legs and tail and body begin to shrink as he transforms back into his normal shape. He walks over to them and takes a stand beside Darby.

"Was that Hohenheim I saw?" He growls at them.

The girl nods her head 'yes' and proceeds to watch Father.

"So nice of you to join me, again.." Father says, staring up at the eye in the sky.

"So, we're supposed to just run around and distract Father, I guess." Ed says, scratching his head.

"And, then what?!" Envy says annoyed,"Wait for our deaths?!"

"Father says he'll take care of... Father... for us.." Al says, having confused himself.

"Whatever!" Envy says, as he runs towards Father and begins punching and kicking at him, flipping backwards with every attack.

The group runs forward and starts to attack Father. Al sends spikes of rock out of the Earth towards father. May proceeds to send daggers flying through air, only to have them rebound off the shield. Ed constantly swipes at the shield with his arm sword while Scar follows his attacks with thrusts of alchemy from his arm.

Father ignores them, talking up to the sky,"Yes... come to me..."

"This is pointless!" Envy snarls as he flips over them and jumps back at the shield, landing a punch against the shield.

"Just keep going!" The girl says, hitting the shield with her staff.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?!" Envy growls, his arm transformed into his usual spike which he shoves against the shield.

"I hope he hurries up!" Ed growls, looking up at the sky.

The girl looks up to see the Eye within miles of them; anxiously awaiting Hohenheim's return.


	8. The Passing of the Storm

"Give me your power!" comes the evil roar of Father.

A gasp escapes Riza's mouth as he begins to elongate his body. The eye widens above them, casting out a bright white light. The girl whips around to face Father as Ed, Envy, and Scar back away from him.

"Dad's never gonna make it!" Al yells as they watch Father reach up toward the eye.

"Damn it, Hohenheim!" Envy growls, running as fast as he can towards the rubble.

"Don't even bother, Envy!" the girl shouts after him.

"Why's he taking so long?!" Mustang growls, as Father's hands make their way closer to the eye.

The sky begins to darken as the Eye starts to blocks out the sun.

Father's evil cackles ring through the air,"Your power is mine!"

"What's the hold up, asshole?!" Envy yells, crawling up the wall of rubble.

Hoenheim stands before the ledge, his body covered in shining alchemic runes.

"The hell?!" Envy says, scratching his head in confusion.

"I've turned my body into a Transmutation Array." Hoenheim says out loud.

Taking no notice of Father or how close the eye is, he begins to make his way down the rubble.

"What exactly are you planning on doing, old man?" Envy barks, following him down.

"I created him." Hoenheim says, climbing down the rubble,"And I can just as easily destroy him."

"_YOU _created Father?!" Envy laughs, following after him.

"Yes. When he was just a midget in a flask." Hohenheim says, making his way towards Father,"My blood was used to make him."

Envy stops dead in his tracks, shocked by the knowledge Hohenheim just shared.

"My blood along with the souls of the people of Xerxes made him what he is today." Hohenheim says turning to face him.

Envy glares at him,"And, now you want to destroy him? You humans are so annoying. You destroy everything! I'll never understand you."

"And, yet you choose to fraternize with us." Hohenheim says, placing a hand upon his shoulder,"We're not all bad, trust me."

Envy smirks at him a little but quickly frowns as he notices Father. Father howls with laughter as his hands reach the Eye. The eye engulfs him sending out a blinding white light across the land. Everyone quickly shields their eyes as an explosion knocks them to the ground.

"We're too late!" Ed yells, crawling towards Al weakly.

"No, we're not." Hohenheim says calmly, as he makes his way towards Father.

Envy kneels in front of the girl, helping her up and leading her towards the place where Ed, Scar and Al lay.

"Brother? What's going on?!" Al shouts, his helmet having been knocked away from his body.

"I don't know, Al." Ed growls, trying his best to shield his eyes.

Scar grunts a little, feeling around for Al's helmet. Another explosion followed by an even brighter light jets out across the land. Envy throws himself in front of the group, taking the full force of the shock wave, his feet digging into the ground and his flesh slightly burning. Hohenheim steadies himself against the shock wave and makes his way closer to Father. More cackling and laughter fills the air as Father's body begins to glow red.

"Where are the others?!" the girl shouts, managing to grab a hold of Al's helmet.

She feels for Al and places it back upon his body,"Envy? Do something!"

Envy rolls his eyes and makes his way towards a pile of rubble where Marcoh and May lay. May lies crying on her side; blood trickling from small gashes in her shoulder. Envy grabs a hold of her in one arm and Marcoh in the other.

"Hey! What're you doing, Envy?!" Marcoh growls, hitting him in the back.

"Bringing you over to be with the group. Now hold still, idiot!" Envy barks, running back to the place he left the others.

He sets Marcoh down next to Scar, then May into his lap.

"May? Are you okay?!" Al shouts, feeling around for her.

"She'll be fine- just gashed her shoulder." Envy explains as he begins to help Al up off of the ground,"Where the hell did the other two go?!"

A horrific shriek fills the air as the light quickly retreats from the land and the Eye disappears. The group jerk their heads towards Father and Hohenheim. Gasps escape their mouths as they stare at the strange scene before them. The pale figure of Father stands in front of the Hohenheim covered in runes. Hohenheim's arms shoved through Father's chest where his heart should be; bright red sparks shooting out of Father's body.

"Noooo! Come back!" Father shouts looking up at the sky, his body shaking as Hohenheim pushes his arms further through his chest.

"You've been shunned by the Eye of God." Hohenheim says with a smirk.

The group watches them in shock.

"He did it!_" _Darby says happily, her hand upon her mouth in shock.

Ed watches them in shock, his mouth wide open. Father shakes with anger, trying to move his arms but appears to be paralyzed.

"Your reign ends here." Hohenheim explains,"After all this time you finally got what you had coming to you."

"I gave you immorality! You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me!" Father snarls angrily, more sparks shooting from his body.

"I could say the same thing to you." Hohenheim says evilly, withdrawing his arms.

Father chokes a little as a red liquid and sparks begin to seep out of the hole in his chest.

"What..did you.. do to me..?" he gurgles, falling backwards onto the ground.

Hohenheim bends down over him,"I've reworked your body."

Sparks shoot off of Father's body as the group begins to get off of the ground. Envy helps the girl up and they walk over to where Father lays.

"Reworked me?!" Father gurgles, staring up at the sky.

"Your body will begin to slowly deteriorate." Hohenheim explains,"Slowly.."

Father chokes again, his chest heaving as his gaze begins to become foggy.

"Soon, you'll be nothing more than a midget in a flask." Hohenheim sighs, running his hands through his hair.

"So, it's over?" Doctor Marcoh says, appearing beside the girl and Envy, May in his arms.

"Well, he can't move.. so he can't really do anything.." Ed says, walking up beside Hohenheim.

Al takes a stand beside Ed and looks down at him,"Midget in a flask?"

Hohenheim stands up beside them and smiles a little,"I can see your mother in you."

Ed looks up at him and glares,"She's gone because of you!"

Hohenheim frowns,"I know. I should have been there for you two. You'd never have been in this mess if it wasn't for me."

"I still would have.. come after you all.. killed you all." Father chokes from the ground.

"Shut! Up!" Ed yells as he pounces upon Father and begins to rain punches upon his face.

Tears begin to stream out of Ed's eyes with every punch. They stand there watching him in silence, a slight breeze blowing upon them.

"That's enough, Fullmetal." comes to bark of Mustang as he and Riza approaches them.

Hohenheim grabs Ed's arm before he can punch Father again.

"That's enough, Edward." he says, sadly.

Ed looks up at him and begins to cry. Hohenheim pulls him into a hug, tears in his eyes.

"Father." Al cries as Hohenheim reaches out for him and hugs him, too.

"I'm sorry." Hohenheim says, giving them both a small squeeze.

The girl's eyes begin to water as she watches them. Envy snorts a little, rolling his eyes and she elbows him in the side. He looks down at her and sees the sadness in her eyes. Gripping her hand, he pulls her into a half hug as she continues watching the others.

Mustand limps over to look at Father and glares at him,"I hope you suffer, you bastard!"

Riza clears her throat at him and places a hand upon his shoulder. He smirks a little and grips her hand.

"He will suffer. I've tampered with his Philosopher's Stone." Hohenheim explain as Ed pulls away from him.

Mustang looks over at him and eyes him.

"He won't be living for much longer." Hohenheim says, patting Al on the head,"There's one more thing to do.."

He grips Ed and Al's hands in his and pulls them away from the group,"We need to get your bodies back."

"But, how?!" Al shouts,"I don't want to kill anyone to get my body back!"

"It took a lot of my power in order to kill him." Hohenheim explains with a look of sorrow upon his face,"I'll soon die, too."

"But, Father-!" Al argues, yelling down at him.

Ed grips Al's shoulder,"Al, it's pointless to argue with him."

"It's the least I could do, being your father."Hohenheim says, smiling at them,"I should have been there and I failed you."

"Human transmutation is against the laws of nature." Mustang shouts, walking over toward them.

"It's equivalent exchange." Hohenheim says as his body begins to glow,"I'm not supposed to be alive. I'm against nature."

Ed's body begins to shake as he cries, Al grips his hand as they watch their father.

"They're my sons. I'd do anything to make sure they live." Hohenheim explains as he glows brighter,"There is no natural way to get them their bodies back."

Riza grips Mustang's shoulders to calm him as he growls a little, watching Hohenheim. Ed and Al begin to glow as bright as Hohenheim. The light becomes so strong the others have to shield their eyes.

* * *

><p>Ed opens his eyes and gasps as he finds himself in front of the Gate of Truth. Beside him stands Al and Hohenheim.<p>

"Brother." Al says, shocked as he stares at the doors.

"I know." Ed says, as the door begins to open and the giant eye appears.

Black hands begin to crawl out of the door as they wrap themselves around Ed, Al, and Hohenheim.

"Brother!" Al yells as he gets dragged into the doorway.

"It'll be okay, Alphonse." Hohenheim says calmly as he becomes encircled in black arms and is dragged into the blackness.

"Al! I'm coming!" Ed yells as he gets pulled into the blackness and the doors close.

Ed's vision goes blank as a white light fills his head. Truth flashes before his eyes in a fraction of seconds as he hears the yells of Hohenheim. Tears flow from his eyes as he calls out Al's name. Al begins to scream and Ed frantically tries to search for him but is unable to see.

"Please don't hurt my brother!" he shouts as he wrestles with the arms.

His vision goes blank as a horrible pain overcomes him. His metal arm and leg are ripped from him. Screaming in pain, he grips at his wounds and passes out.

* * *

><p>Ed awakens to a bright blue sky and the shrieks of others.<p>

"Alphonse!" comes the all too familiar shout of Riza.

Ed sits up and is shocked to find his arm and leg still intact. But instead of metal and wires, there's flesh.

"What happened?" he says, looking around confused.

Mustang limps over and offers him his hand,"Nice to see you both back in your old selves."

Ed's eyes widen in shock as he glances over at Al. Alphonse sits upon the ground, his body frail and bone thin; long blond hair trailing all over his body.

"Al!" Ed shouts, crawling over to him and throwing his arms around him.

They fall backwards onto the ground laughing.

"Brother! I'm me, again!" Al says, happily,"I can feel and smell and taste!"

May runs over and giggles as she approaches Al, nervously.

"So _this _is what you look like, Alphonse?" she says as Al smiles at her.

"It's nice to see you, May, with my own eyes!" he says as she throws her arms around him.

The girl and Envy approach them, smiling.

"Well, lookie here! The pipsqueaks' brother is back to normal!" Envy says with a smirk.

"You look so much like Edward!" The girl says with a smile as she offers Al her hand.

Al grips her hand and she carefully helps him up.

"It's great to see you finally in your own body." she says as he leans on her.

Mustang offers Ed his hand again with a smirk,"Well, I can't call you fullmetal anymore, now can I?"

Ed grips his hand and stands up, laughing,"Nice to see you, too, Colonel."

"Father has deteriorated to almost nothing while you were gone." Riza says, appearing behind Mustang.

Ed walks over towards the half gone man upon the ground, followed by the rest of the group.

"I can't die.." he gurgles as his torso begins to turn to ash.

"Hate to break it to you, idiot, but you are!" Envy laughs, kicking at his head.

Father glares at him,"Envy.. you're still... here? Playing with humans, I see?"

Envy laughs at him,"Alive and kicking, old man!"

"Good...you're part of me.. I can take your body as my own.." Father gurgles, as his torso disappears.

"How about no." Envy barks, kicking at his head again.

The girl places her hand upon his shoulder to calm him.

Envy grabs it and smirks at her,"What?! Just having a little fun."

"Do you want me to just finish him off?" Scar grunts as he stands above Father.

Looking around, the girl notices the stiff faces of everyone as they look down at Father.

"Go ahead and do it!" Envy says with a smirk,"Kill him! What're you guys waiting for?!"

"But, he's already going to die." Ed says quietly, looking over at his brother.

"No need to kill anymore, Scar." Al says, holding onto the girl for support.

"Yeah, you can just start over anew." Doctor Marcoh says with a small smile,"Everyone gets a fresh start at life, now."

Scar shrugs a little and begins to walk away from Father.

"Hey, where are you going?" May shouts as she runs after him.

"This war is over." Scar says turning and kneeling in front of her,"I don't have to be here anymore."

"Hey, wait!" Ed shouts, running after him.

Scar turns to face Ed and looks up at him. Ed holds out his hand and smiles at Scar,"Thanks for all the help!" Scar nods his head at Ed and stands up.

"That's it?!" Envy shouts, annoyed,"Colonel Mustang? Have you forgotten that your pal Scar was going to kill you?"

Scar stops dead in his tracks and turns to face them. Colonel Mustang glares at Envy,"Shut your mouth or I'll do it for you!"

"Colonel, please calm yourself." Riza says, gripping his shoulder,"Envy, best leave it alone. The war is over, no need to be enemies anymore."

"And, what about you, pipsqueak?" Envy says, shouting towards Ed,"Scar killed blondie's parents!"

Ed turns around and glares at him,"Be quiet, Envy!"

"Oh, yeah! And that Chimera girl." Envy says with a smirk as he makes his way towards Ed.

An annoyed look crosses Scar's face,"Be quiet."

"Ugh, you're making me sick to my stomach." Envy says, rolling his eyes,"You fight the same battle and all of a sudden you're best friends?!"

"Envy, be quiet!" Darby hisses at him, walking towards them,"Just, shut up!"

"Well, he _is _a murderer." Envy says, rolling his eyes, as he looks at the girl"I don't get you humans! You don't want revenge for what he's done?"

"That does it!" Mustang growls, stomping over towards Envy.

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve, Colonel?" Envy laughs turning towards him.

A shriek escapes Envy's mouth as Mustang unleashes a wave of flames from his fingers.

Envy jumps back, scorch marks upon his torso and arms,"What the hell?! I'm on your side, idiot!"

"You're on no side, you affront to nature!" Mustang roars, shooting more flames at him.

"Colonel, stop it!" Ed says, walking up to him,"As much as I hate to admit it, he made some good points."

Mustang growls and snaps his fingers again. A giant wave of flames engulfs Envy as he screams out in pain.

"Stop it!" Darby shouts, running over to Envy and kneeling before him,"He did just help us kill Father! He's not our enemy anymore!"

Envy lays upon the ground groaning in pain.

"Oh, but he is. He's a monster and deserves to die!" Mustang yells, as he shoots more flames towards them.

Ed manages to raise a wall of earth in front of them just in time.

"Colonel, you're attacking your own allies." Ed says straight faced,"You need to stop this."

An evil laugh escapes Envy's mouth as he sits up.

"What the hell are you laughing at?!" Mustang yells from behind the wall.

"If it's a fight you want, then you've got it!" Envy yells, standing up and kicking down the wall.

"Envy- don't!" the girl says, grabbing a hold of his leg. Envy shrugs her off and begins walking towards Mustang.

"Oh, so you're going to fight, you moron?" Mustang barks, glaring at him.

"Moron?! HA!" Envy laughs,"Tell me who the real moron is, because I don't think it's me!"

Mustang glares at him and snaps his fingers. Envy dodges the flames and continues walking towards him.

"You see- I prefer to use that term for someone who falls for a cheap trick like this!" Envy laughs evilly.

Mustang begins to shake with fear and shock as Envy begins to change his form. Everyone's mouths fall open and Riza gasps as Hughe's wife appears.

"Oh! You should see your faces!" Envy laughs hysterically,"That was the same look on Hughe's face when I shot him!"

"Sh..shut up.." Mustang says, his jaw clenched with anger; his body shaking.

"The utter shock... confusion! You could see every emotion he felt as his own wife shot him! It. was. great!" Envy cackles hysterically, gripping his face.

"SHUT UP!" Mustang roars and begins to snap his fingers so quickly, his hands become a blur.

Darby gasps and backs away from the scene, standing beside Ed. Small tears form in her eyes as she watches Envy howl with pain, his body becoming charred.

"That's enough, Colonel." Riza says firmly, placing a hand upon his shoulder.

Mustang ignores her, sending wave after wave of flames at Envy, his gloves beginning to blacken.

"Stop it! You're going to kill him!" the girl yells. Ed places a hand upon her shoulder as she watches on in horror.

"Colonel, I said, that's enough." Riza says again, slowly raising her gun to his head. A small click from behind him is enough to stop his hands.

"You wouldn't shoot me, Riza. Lower your gun." Mustang growls, eyeing her.

"Colonel, I'd follow you into hell." she says, a hint of sadness in her voice,"But I can't let you continue this."

Mustang takes a deep breath and turns to face her. Darby runs over to where Envy lays, small moans escaping his mouth.

"Envy? Are you okay?" she says, gently rubbing his cheek. A small gasp escapes his mouth as his worm-like true form crawls out of his mouth.

"Leave me alone." he squeaks at the girl.

Her eyes widen in shock as she stares down at him,"Envy?"

Ed kneels down beside her,"So, this is his true form."

"Don't look down at me, human!" Envy barks at Ed as he tries to hide under the remains of his smoking body. The girl giggles a little as she grabs a hold of him.

"What are you doing?! Put me down!" he squeaks from her hand.

She lightly pets him on the head,"You're.. so cute!"

Envy growls at her and turns away from her.

"So, he's just like his name, then?" comes the mean growl of Mustang,"He's ugly and Envy is an ugly thing."

"Shut up!" Envy squeaks,"Don't pretend like you know anything about me!"

"Well, from the way you act, we sort of do." Ed says, looking down at the green worm in the girl's hand.

Envy growls at him,"Shut up, pipsqueak!"

Ed tries his best to ignore this insult and continues on,"You're jealous of humans, aren't you?"

Envy's eyes widen as he begins to cry, trying to wiggle from the girl's hands.

She grips onto him tightly,"You're not going anywhere, Envy."

"According to you, humans are supposed to be weaker than Homunculi." Ed says, looking down at him.

Envy begins to cry harder,"No! Shut up! Be quiet!"

He tries to wiggle out of Darby's hand but she refuses to let go.

"Let go of me!" He cries, looking up at her. She frowns a little as she looks down at him, but refuses to budge.

"Yet, even if they get discouraged or beaten or are close to falling from their path, they continue to get up and fight." Ed says, looking sadly at Envy.

Envy cries harder, biting at the girls' fingers as she refuses to let him go. Blood trickles from her hands, his teeth sinking into her finger.

"Everyone around them helps them get back up. You're envious of that, aren't you?" Ed says, eyeing him.

The girl whimpers a little as she looks down at Envy. He quickly stops biting her finger but begins to pout, sitting down upon her hand.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" he cries, looking away from them,"I've been humiliated! Me, Envy, jealous of you humans!"

The girl gently pets him upon the head as his body shakes with anger, humiliation, and sadness.

"I am human? No! I'm a homunculus!" he cries,"How could this pipsqueak kid see through me?! This is the ultimate humiliation!"

"Envy.. don't be ashamed.." the girl says, holding him up to her face,"There's nothing wrong with being jealous of humans."

Envy whimpers as he looks into her eyes,"But... I can't be jealous! I can't!"

"But, you're Envy." the girl says, staring at him,"You stand for a human emotion."

Envy's eyes widen as he looks at her, tears flowing all over,"...what..?"

The girl lifts him closer to her face and kisses him upon the head,"You're an artificially created human, yet I see you as a normal human."

Envy stops crying as he stares into her eyes,"So, I'm human, then?"

"In a way, yes." the girl says, smiling a little,"Minus the eating of food and being able to shape shift, you're as good as human."

Envy begins to cry as the girl hugs him to her chest,"Please, don't be ashamed, Envy."

She stands up and holds him to her, small cries still coming from him.

"Give him here!" Mustang shouts,"I'll kill the bastard for what he did to Hughes!"

"Don't you think he's been punished enough?" the girl snaps, glaring at him. Mustang begins to growl as he readies his hands.

"Colonel, that's enough. Let it go. He's had his punishment." Riza says, patting him on the shoulder.

"Besides, he's redeemed himself by helping us save our country." the girl says, cradling Envy in her arms.

Mustang growls and begins to walk away from the group.

"We should get you to the hospital, Al." Ed says, walking over to his brother.

"I'm coming with you." May says as she grabs a hold of Al's hand and they begin to walk off.

"We'll meet up later, okay?" Ed says, waving goodbye towards the girl.

"Thank you so much for all your help." Al shouts weakly, waving to her.

The girl smiles and waves at them, bidding them goodbye.

"Well, looks like it's just the.. three of us left." Marcoh says, approaching her.

The girl turns to face him and smiles at him,"You did a great job.. I'm happy we succeeded."

Marcoh smiles,"Ed and them will put a good word in for me. I'll be a free man again."

"Where do you plan on going now?" she asks him, watching as the ashes from Envy's body blow away with the wind.

"Back to my hometown, I guess." he shrugs,"And, what about you?"

"Well, I don't really have much to go back to." she says,"I'm probably going to try to settle down here. Stay close to Ed and them, you know?"

Marcoh smiles at her and holds out his hand,"Thank you for being with us. You were a big help. You managed to make the tables turn for us."

The girl blushes a little, adjusting Envy and shaking his hand,"Well, it was nothing, really. I did what I thought was right."

"And, so you did." Marcoh says, bidding her a farewell and walking away.

The girl stands there in the ruins, watching as Ed helps Al up the rubble.

"What am I supposed to do?" Envy squeaks quietly from her arms.

"What do you mean?" she says, looking down at him.

"I've been humiliated." Envy squeaks,"I.. I don't want to live.."

"Oh, but you must, Envy!" she says sadly,"It can feel pretty bad being humiliated; even to the point we want to die. But, we humans go on."

Envy stares up at her and she smiles back at him,"You're stronger than that, Envy. Don't let that pipsqueak get you down."

A small gasp awakens them from their chat. The girl looks over at the place where Father had been. All that remains of him is a little black wisp, with a little eye and mouth.

"Envy.." it squeaks as it slowly shrinks and then disappears with a pop.

A small red stone falls to the ground and the girl gasps.

"Is that what I think it is?!" she says, shocked.

Envy looks down at the ground from her hand,"It's his Philosopher's Stone!"

"Eat it, Envy." she says,"Eat it and live!"

Envy looks up at her,"Why do you want me to live so much? I'm a pathetic excuse for a homunculi."

"I told you already.. I like you, Envy." she says with a smile and slight blush, picking up the stone.

Envy's eyes soften as he stares at her.

She offers him the stone, setting it upon her palm,"Please, Envy. Don't die over something as simple as humiliation."

He looks up at her and swallows it. She quickly sets him upon the ground as his evil laughter fills the air.

"I'm alive!" he cackles,"I'm alive again! Oh, it feels so good!"

A big smile stretches upon the girl's face as she watches him. He looks over at her and smiles. Grabbing her into his arms, he hugs her tightly. The girl looks up into his face, blushing.

"Try not to anger Mustang again, okay?" she giggles,"You idiot!"

Envy smirks down at her,"I'll still never understand you humans."

"You will, over time." the girl says with a big smile,"I'll make sure of that!"

Envy presses his lips hard against hers, both of them blushing bright red.

They stand there, lips locked together, their hearts beating fast as members of the state army begin to swarm around the wreckage.


	9. The Beast Gets a Home and Job

The girl blushes red as he hugs her tightly.

"Thanks.." He growls quietly, looking down at her.

"For what?"Darby says, shocked.

Envy quickly looks away from her, blushing; watching the soldiers scurry around. Darby smiles up at him, understanding what his appreciation is for. With a sigh, Envy continues holding her, watching as a bunch of soldiers make their way down into the pit.

"Will you stay with me now that the war is over, Envy?" she asks him, cuddling against him.

"Where else would I go, idiot?!" he says with a smirk, gripping her protectively as the soldiers draw nearer,"So what're we gonna do next?"

"I never really thought of what I'd do after the war." she says, thinking out loud.

Envy smirks evilly, glaring at the incoming soldiers,"How about we get the hell out of here?!".

A small shriek escapes Darby's mouth as he quickly picks her up into his arms. With an evil laugh, Envy rushes through the group of soldiers posed with their guns aiming at them. Yells and the sounds of bullets firing ring through the air, causing Darby to cry out in fear. Grinning, Envy runs towards the rubble, the girl gripping him around his torso. He quickly scales the rubble and sets her down at the top, frowning.

A group of heavily armed soldiers stands before them, blocking their path. Sighing with annoyance, Envy places his hands upon his hips and glares. Darby looks around the group nervously, putting her hands up in surrender.

"Stop right there, Envy. If you cooperate with us-" begins one soldier but is cut off by a muscular woman with long blond hair.

"Lower your guns, men! These two aren't our enemies." the blond haired soldier from Briggs says, her face emotionless.

The soldier eyes them angrily,"But, Captain Olivier, that is a homunculus, is it not?"

Olivier glares at him and he quickly shuts his mouth, lowering his gun with shaky hands.

"Does the army need us for questioning?" Darby asks nervously,"If not, I'd like to go get some rest."

Olivier simply nods her head 'no', allowing them to pass. The girl stands before Olivier and salutes her. Olivier nods her head in acknowledgement before the girl and Envy continue on, pushing through the group of baffled soldiers. "Lucky us!" Envy says with a smirk as they continue on their way.

"We're going to have to find a place to sleep." Darby says, looking around them,"Perhaps there are some army bunkers we could stay at."

Envy shrugs, following after her,"Not like I care where we go- I don't sleep."

Frowning a little, the girl digs through her pockets for some money but comes up with nothing. Envy notices the frown and grabs her shoulder to stop her from walking.

"The hell is wrong with you?" he growls, looking down at her.

"I have no money." the girl says, noticing odd glances from passing soldiers and onlookers.

"And, you need it because?" Envy says, glaring at a passing soldier; making him walk faster.

"Well, I can't very well eat for free." Darby snaps, stomping her foot.

"You know.. I'm still not quite human.." he says with a wink.

Her face lights up with realization as to what Envy means. She grasps Envy's hand and leads him through the crowd of soldiers bustling about to clean up the mess. They make their way away from Central, trying to distance themselves from the crowd of soldiers and onlookers. Heading down the street, they walk on in silence, holding each other's hands. Pushing their way through the townspeople who keep rushing past them.

* * *

><p>The sun begins to set as they reach the outskirts of town, darkening the landscape around them.<p>

"It's eerily quiet."Darby says, noticing the lack of people on the street,"Too quiet for there having just been a war."

"Guess that's what happens when a war ends." Envy shrugs, stretching his arms above his head.

The girl shades her eyes from the bright rays of light and looks around. The doors and windows of the surrounding buildings shut tightly; no signs of light issuing forth from any of them. They continue walking down the long; dark street, reading the signs scattered all over the buildings.

"There's gotta be an inn or a hotel somewhere around here." the girl says, frowning as she passes another store sign.

"You mean that place ahead of us?" Envy says with an evil smirk, pointing in front of them towards a building a block away. The girl follows his pointing finger to a small; two story wood and brick building. A wobbly sign, halfway hanging off of its hinges, hangs upon the upper balcony. The words 'Sunny Breeze Inn" can be found upon it. Smiling, the girl grabs a hold of Envy's wrist and guides him to follow her towards the building. They slowly approach, noticing that its doors and windows are still open. Darby notices some lights still flickering in the windows and nods at Envy.

"You know what to do, Envy." she whispers to him, looking through one of the small windows.

Envy winks at her and quickly shape shifts. They enter and find the place almost empty save for an older man polishing mugs at the bar.

His eyes light up as he notices them,"Welcome! Come on in! Aren't getting too much business, what with Army Central blowing up and all."

The girl smiles at him and makes her way through the bar, towards the man; zig zagging around the many small tables.

"I was wondering if you were in need of any help." she says, taking a seat at the bar.

The man sets his mug down and looks down at her,"I notice you're with the army, then? Or, at least a friend of Mr. Elric?"

He nods his head towards Envy who smirks at him in the form of Edward Elric.

"I'm just here to ensure she has a place to stay." Envy says, in his best imitation of Edward.

"Do you not have a home?" the man says gently, looking the girl over.

The girl frowns a little,"I don't. And, unfortunately, I have no money, either, so I can't eat."

Smiling at her, the man holds out his hand,"I'll tell you what- if you agree to work for me, I'll give you food and a place to stay."

The girl smiles happily,"Thank you so much! I can begin right now if you'd like?"

"Well, unfortunately, I'll have to close shop for the day- not getting any business." he says with a frown.

"It's quite odd what happened over at Central." the girl says, pretending to have no idea what happened,"The town almost seems deserted."

The man nods his head in agreement, continuing his polishing of his mug.

"Well, if you'd like, I can give you your room, now." he says with a smile.

"You have no idea how much I appreciate this." Darby says happily, her eyes lighting up.

The man reaches under the bar, grabbing out a small brass key and placing it upon the counter.

"Here you go. You'll be in the room at the end of the hallway upstairs." he says, pushing the key towards her.

"Alright, thank you." She says, hopping off of the bar stool,"I'm gonna see Edward off, then I'll be right back."

Envy follows her out of the bar. He quickly transforms back into his usual form, smirking down at her.

"Well, lookie there- you've got a place to sleep and some food." he says, smirking.

Darby smiles up at him, flashing the key at him with excitement in her eyes.

"Now, quit complaining!" he says, turning her around and pushing her back into the bar, filing in behind her.

Taking no notice of them, the man continues polishing mugs as they make their way towards the stairs.

"Thank you, again!" Darby says, heading up the stairs.

"So, you're gonna do this man's dirty work, then?" Envy laughs as they make their way up the stairs.

"Yeah? What of it?" Darby says, annoyed, approaching.

"Oh, nothing..." Envy smirks,"You humans just confuse me."

"Here we go again.." She glares at him and crosses her arms,"And, why is that?"

"Well, you're against slavery and, yet, you just signed yourself up for slavery in exchange for food and a place to sleep." Envy mumbles.

"Well, nothing in this world is free, you know?!" the girl says, glaring at him,"Even alchemy has that whole equivalent exchange, thing."

Envy snorts a little,"Yeah.. whatever.."

The girl smiles a little and begins walking down the hallway. Envy follows after her, looking around at all the similar doors.

"So, this is your new home, huh?" he says with a smirk.

"It's your home, too, idiot." Darby says over her shoulder,"You forget that you're stuck with me already?"

He smiles back at her, running a hand through his hair,"Fine. _Our _home."

"Hope you're ready to live a normal life." Darby says, reaching the door to their room.

Envy rolls his eyes as she inserts the key into the keyhole, turning it until it clicks.

"Are you ready?!" she says excited, grasping the doorknob,"Once we enter this room, our new lives begin."

She turns the knob and opens the door slowly. They're greeted by a simple yet quaint room painting in a light yellow color. A single; small window occupies the wall farthest from them. Floral curtains cover the window providing a small amount of privacy. Beside the window, to the left of them, lies a small wooden bed; basic grey bedding and a small frumpy pillow laying atop of it. On the opposite wall lies a small dresser with a washing basin and a small lantern on top of it; the lantern light dancing upon the wall.

"What're you so excited for?" Envy says, looking around the room,"This place looks like crap."

"Well, for your information, it's my first place of my own so of course I'm going to be excited." Darby says, running over to the bed and sitting down.

Sighing, she falls backward and stares up at the ceiling. Envy rolls his eyes as he closes the door and locks it; eyeing her laying upon the bed.

"This bed is pretty comfy." she says, wiggling her arms in the air above her.

Leaning against the door, Envy crosses his arms and closes his eyes,"What now?"

She looks over at him and smiles,"Well, we do have to get up bright and early tomorrow so we can start working."

Envy sighs a little and opens his eyes,"Get to sleep, then, idiot!"

The girl sits up in bed,"Don't you have to sleep, too?"

Envy snorts, walking towards the bed,"Pfft! I don't sleep."

"Not true! I saw you sleeping in the cave, you liar!" the girl says, standing up before him.

He glares down at her,"I wasn't really sleeping- I was just resting, idiot."

"So, then.. were you conscious during.." she says nervously, looking down at her feet.

He laughs a little, smirking down at her,"What do you think?"

The girl blushes deeply, quickly sitting back down. Envy snickers, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Looks like it's bed time." she says, pulling away from him. She pulls of her sweater, then slips under the covers. Envy walks over to the bed and sits upon the edge beside her, watching her adjust herself for bed.

"Goodnight." she says with a smile, laying upon her back and closing her eyes.

"So, that's it, huh?" he says, irritated; crossing his arms against his chest.

"What do you mean?" she says, confused, slightly sitting up in bed.

"I told you I don't sleep. What the hell am I supposed to do, then?" he barks.

The girl looks at him confused,"I really don't know, Envy. What did you do before?"

Envy glares at her, averting his eyes,"I did Father's bidding, you idiot."

"Oh.. Well, why don't you just rest for the night here?" she suggests,"Just don't leave the room for the next couple of days."

Envy snorts with annoyance,"So, I'm a prisoner again, huh?"

The girl rolls her eyes,"No, you're not. I just don't want to take our chances and have you attacked by some army goons."

"You know damn well I can take care of myself!" he barks, glaring at her.

"It's not like that, Envy." she says with a slight frown,"You know I care about you. I just don't want anything happening to you."

Envy notices the sadness in her eyes and sighs,"Alright, fine. I'll stay here for a few days. But once those days are up, I go where I want!"

The girl smiles up at him,"It's a deal. Now, let me sleep, you jerk."

* * *

><p>Sunlight shines through the curtains, filling the room up with bright yellow light. The girl's eyes flicker open as she wakes up, shading her face from the light.<p>

"Good morning." she says with a yawn.

Silence greets her ears. Looking to her side, she finds the bed empty.

"Envy?" she says, sitting up in bed.

"What?" Comes the familiar bark.

The girl turns towards the window to find Envy sitting upon the window sill. His knees curled up to his chest, he stares out at the bustling street below.

"I said good morning." Darby says, pulling the covers away from her.

Envy turns to face her,"Eh.. it's just morning."

He slides his legs over the inside sill and jumps back into the room.

"Sleep good?" he says with a smirk, standing before her.

The girl blushes a little,"Why do you ask?"

Envy smirks at her as he takes a seat beside her,"You mumble a lot in your sleep. It's kind of annoying."

Darby rolls her eyes, elbowing him in the side,"Ready to start your first day of work?"

"Not like I really have a choice." Envy growls, rolling his eyes.

The girl gets out of bed, quickly adjusting her clothing and looking at her reflection in the window.

"In a rush to become some guy's slave?" Envy growls, laying back upon the bed.

"Well, we can't very well live here for free." the girl responds, pulling at her pants.

Envy laughs a little and closes his eyes, watching her struggle with a wrinkle in her pants.

"We'll have to buy some more clothes sometime." she says, stretching out the wrinkle.

"Your pants look fine. Quit freaking out, idiot." Envy snorts,"You humans and your clothes.."

She smirks evilly at him, slipping on her shoes,"You're going to need some clothes too, you know?"

Envy glares at her,"What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"

The girl slips on one shoe, wiggling her toes around,"Your outfit makes you stand out, which we don't want."

Envy rolls his eyes and laughs a little,"Yeah, so?"

"Don't get me wrong- I like your outfit.." she says, blushing slightly as she pulls on her other shoe,"But, it's just not appropriate for work."

Envy shrugs his shoulders,"Eh, whatever. Ready to be enslaved?"

"It's not enslavement, idiot." Darby says, heading for the door,"We're getting paid for our work."

Then, gripping the doorknob nervously, she opens the door; ready for their first day of work. Darby quickly locks the door, then heads down the hallway towards the stairs.

"I understand you don't know everything about human life.." she says as they make their way down the hall.

Envy rolls his eyes as she continues,"But, I will expect you to be on your best behavior and do what you can to help, okay?"

She looks over her shoulder at him and smiles. He returns a small smile to her as they approach the stairs. They take the stairs quickly and are greeted by a somewhat more busier room than the previous night. A young woman with short brown hair wearing a simple black dress rushes around sweeping the bar floors. At the table beside her, a woman much older than her in the same outfit stands beside a few scruffy men taking their orders. Standing at the bar, in the same outfit; polishing mugs, is the kind inn keeper.

"Hello, again!" The man says, waving to the girl from the bar,"Ready for your first day of work?"

The girl approaches the bar and smiles, Envy following behind her,"At your service, sir!"

Eyeing Envy, the man sets his mug down and looks back at the girl,"And, who might this be?"

Blushing a little, the girl takes a deep breath,"This is my.. boyfriend, I guess.."

The man studies the girl's blushing face,"Boyfriend, huh? Will he be living with you?"

"I can speak for myself, you know?" Envy barks.

"Pardon his rudeness, sir." the girl says, elbowing Envy in the side,"He comes from a family who lacks manners."

The inn keeper smiles a little,"So, I've got myself two new workers, then? Excellent!"

Smiling, the girl bows at the inn keeper,"We're ready and willing to do whatever you need done."

The man considers this for a few, rubbing his chin and looking off into space. They stand there watching him in silence; Envy getting slightly annoyed at waiting. After a few moments of silence, the man finally speaks.

"How good are you at washing dishes?" he says, pointing at Envy.

Envy looks at him and scratches his head,"What the hell are you talking about?"

The girl puts her hand on Envy's mouth to shut him up,"He's as good as anyone."

"Alright. Then, you'll be our dishwasher." the man says, nodding his head at Envy.

Envy rolls his eyes and shrugs,"Like I care."

"Do you have any experience waiting?" the man asks Darby.

She withdraws her hand from Envy's mouth and shrugs,"I've never waited before, but, it can't be that hard can it?"

"Then, that settles it." the man says with a smile,"I'll finally have enough waitresses."

He gestures for them to follow him into the kitchen. They head around the bar, where the man takes them behind a worn brown curtain into a small room. A small well with a huge pile of dishes and a small bucket lays against a wall. In the middle of the room lays a small fire pit with a rack suspended over it.

"That's what we cook our food on." the man explains,"I can't afford a brick oven like other inns so I just use that."

Darby frowns a little, looking at the basically empty room.

"Who does the cooking?" she asks, looking around.

"I do and so does Elsa- they young woman currently sweeping." the man explains.

Envy walks over to the pile of dishes and picks up a plate,"So, this is my job?"

"Yes. And, I really appreciate it since we usually have to do the dishes along with our other jobs." the man says, heading out of the room.

"It's really easy, Envy."Darby says, taking a stand beside him,"Simply use the water to make the dishes spotless."

"That sounds so annoying." Envy says, dropping the plate back onto the pile.

"It's actually very easy." the girl says,"Once they're clean, stack them on that table over in the corner."

Envy rolls his eyes and she smiles up at him,"Just do it, okay, Envy? It'll be worth it in the end."

He smirks at her, rolling his eyes,"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Darby reaches up and pecks him on the cheek,"I'll see you later."

She heads out of the room and returns to the other side of the bar. The man hands her a small apron and a wash cloth.

"Well, your job is a simple one. Help me ensure this place stays clean and customers are happy." he says with a smile.

She takes the wash cloth and apron,"Thank you very much for all your hospitality."

"Don't mention it- I couldn't very well let you leave knowing you were homeless." the man says with a smile.

Darby ties the apron around herself and rushes off into the dining room.

Elsa notices her and stops sweeping; resting upon the broom as she talks,"New girl, huh? Well, welcome aboard!"

Smiling, Darby offers her hand to Elsa and Elsa returns the handshake.

"It'll be great having more staff!" Elsa says with a smile,"It's currently just me, dad, and mom. And that can get pretty tiring."

"Oh, so that's your mother there, then?" Darby says, gesturing to the waitress heading towards the kitchen.

Elsa nods her head 'yes',"Who was that man I saw you with?"

"He's my sort of boyfriend, Envy." Darby says, blushing a little.

"Envy, huh? What a weird name." Elsa says, as she continues sweeping.

"Yeah.. his family is.. was.. a little odd." Darby says with a laugh.

"Oh? They're dead? How sad." Elsa says, sweeping under one of the nearby tables.

Darby frowns a little,"Yeah.. it's a long story."

Elsa stops sweeping at looks at her sadly,"Well, I'm glad father has given you both a place to stay, then."

"We're really grateful for your family's hospitality." Darby says as she begins to wipe off a dirty table nearby,"We both don't have anywhere else to go."

"We couldn't very well let you be homeless." Elsa says, sweeping the dirt on the ground into a pile,"My family wouldn't settle for that."

The sound of breaking china echoes from the kitchen.

"Watch what you're doing!" come the yells of the inn keeper as he heads into the kitchen,"Dishes aren't cheap!"

"Yeah, whatever!" comes the bark of Envy and then the splash of water.

Darby smacks her hand over her eyes and sighs, annoyed by Envy's attitude.

"Your boyfriend seems like an interesting character." Elsa says, sweeping the dirt into the dustpan,"How'd you two meet?"

Darby hesitates a little; a small knot forming in her throat.

"Um, well..." she stutters nervously, wiping furiously at a table.

Elsa looks at her oddly, then walks over to the entrance and throws the dirt from the dustpan onto the ground.

"We met in the war that just ended." Darby says quickly, heading towards another table to clean it.

"Really?" Elsa says interested, sitting down at the table Darby is cleaning,"What was the war like?"

Darby continues wiping down the table,"It's not too interesting.. talking about the war is kinda depressing."

"Oh, but, I want to hear it!" Elsa says with a smile,"It sounds so exciting!"

Darby smiles down at her, then looks over at the kitchen,"I try not to dwell on the past. Sorry."

The other waitress makes her to a table of scruffy men, carrying a tray of soup bowls and a loaf of bread.

"Get back to work, Elsa!" she snaps at the girl before setting the food down in front of the men.

"Yes, mother..." Elsa sighs, standing up and grabbing a hold of the broom.

"Wanna go see how your boyfriend is doing?" she says with a smirk,"Drop the hint that dishes are supposed to be washed, not broken?"

Darby smiles at Elsa as they walk towards the kitchen, laughing.

"I see you two have become good friends already." the inn keeper says with a smile, wiping down the bar.

"It's going to be so much fun having someone my age around here." Elsa says with a smile.

They make their way around the bar and into the kitchen.

"This is so stupid!" Envy barks, shoving some plates into the small well, swishing them around, and grabbing them out.

"Envy, you're doing fine." Darby says, approaching him; Envy glaring up at her.

He stands up and smirks at her,"What're you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be slaving away?"

Elsa laughs a little and approaches them,"We came to tell you you were supposed to be _washing_ the dishes."

She holds out her hand to him and smiles, trying to introduce herself.

He rolls his eyes at her, ignoring her hand,"I'm not stupid, you know."

"Envy, she's not calling you stupid." Darby says,"She was just being funny."

"Yeah, well, she's annoying me." he says, stretching his arms over his head,"_This _is annoying me!"

Elsa frowns a little,"Sorry to upset you. I'm Elsa, the daughter of the inn keeper."

Envy smirks down at her,"Yeah, whatever.. when will I get to stop doing this crap?!"

"Later tonight." Elsa says quickly.

"We've barely even started, Envy. Quit being such a baby!" Darby snorts.

Envy glares at her, then bends down to continue his dishes.

"Why don't you get back to work, then?" he barks, throwing a few plates into the water.

Darby sighs and pats him upon the head,"It'll be over before you know it, Envy. Until then, try to enjoy it."

Elsa sets the broom in the corner of the kitchen, then they head out. They're greeted by some happy chatter as they notice a few more people in the dining hall.

"I finally get my customers back." the inn keeper says with a smile,"I knew that war wasn't going to keep them away forever."

"Looks like they realized that they can celebrate the end of the war and still go to a bar." Elsa says rushing around the bar.

"Well, go get them kiddo!" the inn keeper waves her off as some men wearing Army uniforms approach the bar.

Darby nervously walks around the bar, trying not to draw attention to herself. She heads over to a table where a small group of loud men are sitting.

"Hey there!" she says, approaching them with a smile.

"Get us three beers!" shouts a scruffy looking man.

"The damn war is over! Now I can get drunk in peace!" a scrawny man beside the other man says.

Darby quickly jots down their orders and heads over to the bar.

"I heard that the enemy is still alive- Fullmetal didn't even kill him." comes the voice of one of the soldiers at the bar.

"One of those monsters claims to be on our side and Captain Olivier actually let him go!" barks the same soldier who previously argued with Olivier.

"She actually believes he's on our side?! HA!" the other soldier laughs.

Darby rushes around the bar as the soldiers fill the area with their laughter.

"I need three beers." she says to the inn keeper, holding up three fingers.

He nods at her and grabs out three mugs; slowly filling them with beer from the tap. The inn keeper finishes filling the mugs and slides them down to her. She arranges them in her hands and heads back around the bar, trying her best not to spill. Loud laughter greets her from the table as she appears with the beers.

"Here, here!" the scrawny man shouts, taking a beer from her hands.

"A toast to the end of the war!" the other one says, clunking glasses with the other man.

The scruffy man takes a swig of beer,"Do you _really _think it's over?"

Both of the men frown; looking up at the girl with weird expressions.

"If what those soldiers are saying is true, then the enemy is still alive." the scrawny man says, taking a drink of beer.

"Yeah, but, what makes you so sure?" the other man grunts nervously.

"Well, the State Army loves to lie to us." the scruffy man says, folding his arms,"And, who's to say that the war really is over?"

The girl swallows a small knot in her throat and quickly retreats from the table. She heads around the bar, avoiding the soldiers the best she can, and into the kitchen. Envy growls as he scrubs a plate with his bare hands.

Darby spots this and chuckles,"No wonder you're having so much trouble!"

She walks over to him, laughing, and grabs the rag off of the side of the well.

"Use this, silly! You're not supposed to wash dishes with your hand." she says, smiling down at him.

He takes the rag from her and rubs the plate with it.

"Well, lookie there." he says, smirking evilly, slightly chipping the plate from scrubbing too hard.

Envy sets the plate down and stands up beside her, grabbing her into a loose hug.

She quickly pulls away,"We can't do that on the job, Envy."

"Like I give a damn!" he barks, trying to kiss her.

"I'm serious- wait til tonight, then we can do that." she says, pulling herself out of his arms,"I need to talk with you."

"You're talking now, aren't you?" he says with a smirk.

"Envy- are you sure everyone you were working with is dead?" she says, looking up at him nervously.

He glares down at her,"What are you getting at?"

The girl frowns a little,"It's just.. some soldiers out there at the bar are saying they think the enemy is alive. And so do other people."

Envy sighs,"Well, last I knew of, everyone was dead."

At that, he grabs her into a hug and tightens his arms around her,"Don't worry about rumors, stupid."

The girl looks up at him and smiles a little,"I guess you're right. It's just- with how abrupt things ended, it felt a little.. odd."

Envy stares down at her and smiles,"It's over now, so, quit talking about it, idiot!"

He bends down and presses his lips to hers, squeezing her tightly. She returns the kiss halfheartedly. A small cough brings them out of their moment; the girl blushing bright red.

"Sorry to bother you guys, but, there's a lot of customers, now, so we could use the help." Elsa says, a slight red hue to her cheeks.

Darby pecks Envy on the cheek and pulls away from him,"The night will be over soon. I'll see you later, okay?"

At that, she heads out of the kitchen with Elsa, leaving Envy to continue his dish washing.

"The army is going to have a memorial for the fallen as well as a celebration for the end of the war tomorrow." One of the soldiers says.

Passing by them quickly, Darby heads over to a table to take the orders of a family of four.

The inn continuously fills up with people; causing her to forget time as she hustles about the dining room taking orders and cleaning.

* * *

><p>Before she knows it, midnight comes around and the place begins to slowly empty. A few straggling customers stay to either drink or get a room while most end up leaving.<p>

"Great job, tonight." The inn keeper says, walking over to Darby as she clears off a dirty table.

The girl wipes her hands on her apron and smiles,"Thank you! It got so busy, I almost forgot where I was."

Reaching into his pocket, the inn keeper produces five coins and hands them to her.

"This is your pay for tonight for a job well done." he says with a smile,"Come over to the bar and get yourself something to eat."

Then he heads off towards the kitchen, leaving the girl to finish her job. She places the coins into her pocket, then begins busing the dishes onto her tray.

"I have money now. Gonna have to start some savings." she says happily to herself.

Picking up the tray and balancing it on her shoulder, she heads towards the kitchen.

"What a busy night, huh?" Elsa says, following behind her with a tray of dishes,"Nothing like the end of a war to really kick things to life."

"I can see why you're happy to have more help." Darby says as they approach the bar and head around it.

They make their way through the curtain and are surprised to see huge piles of plates and dishes strewn across the table and floor.

"Wow! Good job, Envy!" the girl says with a smile, placing her dishes into the bucket by the well.

Envy growls a little, rolling his eyes,"You gotta be kidding me! I just finished and now you idiots bring me more?!"

The girl and Elsa frown a little,"Sorry, but, that's what happens with being a dish washer."

Elsa sets her dishes down into the bucket,"Well, I'll leave you two alone."

She quickly slips out of the kitchen leaving them behind.

"How'd you like your first night, Envy?" Darby says, staring down at him as he begins washing their dishes.

Envy growls a little,"It sucked!"

The girl giggles as she bends down to help him wash the remaining dishes.

"I got paid, you know. And, I'm sure the inn keeper is going to be bringing you money soon, too." she says with a smile.

"Like I care?" Envy says, rolling his eyes as he finishes washing a plate.

"I thought you'd be happy to know that we can save up, now." the girl says, drying off the plate,"Buy us some clothes, some belongings..."

"Yeah, well, I'm fine with what I have." Envy barks, washing a cup,"Not like I give a damn about any of that, anyways."

"Well, you're going to have to if you're going to live like a human." the girl says, washing a small bowl.

Envy snorts a little,"Fine.. whatever.."

The girl frowns as she dries the bowl,"Don't you want to live a new life?"

Envy smirks as he hands her a plate to clean,"Well, that seems a little less annoying."

The girl smiles as she begins to wash the plate,"Exactly."

They finish the last few dishes and stand up right as the inn keeper comes in.

"Job well done, Envy." he says, walking up and holding out his hand.

Five small; gold coins shine in his hand as he smiles,"Take it- it's your pay for tonight."

Envy rolls his eyes and grabs the coins from his hand.

"Get yourselves something to eat." the inn keeper says, gesturing towards the bar,"Then, get some sleep cause it's gonna be a busy day tomorrow!"

He heads out of the curtain leaving them alone.

Envy holds his hand out to the girl, a look of annoyance on his face,"Here- take them. Not like I need them or anything."

The girl smirks a little,"You're gonna need to get used to money, Envy, if you're going to live in the human world."

Envy chuckles a little as the girl pushes his hand back.

"Put them in your pocket for now, okay?" she says, heading towards the exit,"Let's go eat- I'm starving!"

The girl heads out the door followed by Envy.

"There you two are." the waitress barks as they make their way to the bar stools,"Sit down! I made us all beef stew for tonight."

They take a seat upon two stools at the far end of the bar.

The waitress sets two bowls of stew in front of them along with mugs of ale,"Eat."

She then takes a seat at the opposite end of the bar with Elsa and the inn keeper.

"I don't eat." Envy barks, pushing the bowl away.

The girl glares at him, then quickly looks over at the others.

"You need to start eating, Envy, Even if it's just pretend." she says quietly.

"Not like I need it for sustenance or anything." Envy growls as she pushes to bowl back to him.

"Will it hurt you to eat?"She says,"I mean- can a homunculus eat food?"

Envy smirks,"Well I do have a human body. It's just powered by other means."

"So, then you can eat, right?" the girl says, placing his hands around the bowl.

Rolling his eyes, he smirks,"Yeah, we can eat. And, drink. Lust used to have a big thing for coffee."

The girl smiles as she watches him dip his spoon into the stew and raise it to his lips.

She giggles as he slurps up the stew,"Do you like it?"

Envy smirks as he dips the spoon again and brings it back to his mouth,"It's okay."

"It's not all that bad pretending to be a human is it?" Darby says as she slurps down some more stew

Envy sighs a little and rolls his eyes,"It's okay.. kinda boring, though."

The girl smiles at him and throws her arm around his shoulder,"I'm happy to hear it. I'm sure you'll like it more as we continue on with life."

He smiles at her and slurps down the rest of his stew quickly.

"I'd enjoy it more if I didn't have to deal with such annoying tasks." he says, setting his bowl down.

"Don't worry- things will get better." the girl says, finishing the last bit of her stew,"You ready for tomorrow?"

She smiles a little and lays her arm on his shoulder; Envy smirks,"Like hell I am!"


	10. Is the War Really Over?

A horrible echo rings out through the dark underground of the sewers. Wearing a state military jacket; a man approaches a small doorway at the end of a sewage tunnel.

"Who's there?" he squeaks, slowly reaching out to touch the handle of the door.

A blinding red light begins to shine around the cracks of the door. The man quickly covers his face with his hands as the door creaks open.

"What the-?" he stutters, watching the door slowly open wide. Like a candle being doused by water, the light disappears in a quick flicker. Darkness greets him; the red light seeming to have simply been his imagination. He slowly steps into the room, in-taking his breath at the strange sight. Tons of round glass tanks filled with strange red liquid surround him. He tiptoes quietly; approaching a nearby tank with caution.

A small gasp of horror escapes his mouth as he notices what appears to be a human in the tank. Its skin completely translucent; veins popping out all over the surface of its skin. He examines the "human's" face, taking note of its missing eyes and non-existent lips. His eyes open wide as he notices strange tubes filled with red liquid running through the being's body.

Panicking, he quickly backs away from the tank; a chill of fear overcoming him. The door slams shut and he jumps backwards, knocking into a nearby tank. He shivers with fear as the darkness is chased away by the same red light he thought he had imagined. Looking around, he notices the glow coming from the tanks. His heart beats fast as bubbles begin forming in the tanks.

"Oh, god! What have I gotten myself into?" he says, his teeth chattering,"I need to get out of here and find the others!"

A being in a nearby tank begins to jerk and he shrieks, backing into a small table he hadn't noticed in the middle of the room. Breaking glass echoes through room and he cowers in fear hiding quickly under the table. He looks around, shivering; his knees drawn up to his chest.

The sounds of splashing water and glass breaking surround him. He squints his eyes shut and begins praying, feeling the leaking water soak into his pants. His heart beat hastens as footsteps and more breaking glass echo around the room.

Loud shrieks fill his ears and he begins screaming as thousands of strange clawed hands tear at his flesh.

* * *

><p>"Brother!" Alphonse squeals as Edward walks into his hospital room, taking a seat beside his hospital bed.<p>

"How are you feeling, Al?" Ed says with a smile, rubbing his head nervously.

"I can't believe it's really you!" Winry says, smiling down at him.

"I suppose it is quite odd. I feel strange, still." Al says, looking down at his arms and hands.

"The doctor says you will be weak for quite some time." Pinako says looking up at Al,"But you should be able to leave the hospital in a few days."

"Where's May, by the way?" Al asks, looking around the room.

"You don't remember?" Ed says, sadly,"She went back to her country."

Al frowns a little,"I remember saying hi to her, but, I don't remember coming here, though."

"No worries, Alphonse. You'll be all better soon." Winry says with a smile.

Al smirks at her, taking a drink from the small glass on his nightstand. He coughs a little, worrying everyone, but waves at them that he'll be fine.

After a few moments, he takes a deep breath, then says,"So, brother- Have you asked Winry to marry you, yet?"

Ed's face turns bright red and he sinks in his chair,"Alphonse! I'm gonna kill you!"

Winry lets out an embarrassed squeak and quickly hides her face behind her hands. Al laughs a little, throwing himself into another small coughing fit.

Trying his best to change the conversation, Ed's face turns serious and he says,"Al, Do you remember anything after your body got taken?"

Al frowns a little trying to remember,"Sorry, brother. I just remember pain and then seeing you bleeding everywhere."

Ed sighs,"Did you see truth while getting your body back?"

Al nods his head 'yes',"It was very strange, brother. I wish it had slowed down enough that I could understand anything."

A small knock on the door brings them out of their thoughts.

"Come in." Al shouts weakly.

The door opens to reveal Colonel Mustand and Riza Hawkeye. Mustang salutes Al and Ed, stepping inside and having Riza close the door behind them.

"How are you feeling?" Roy grunts.

"A little weak. I can't remember much." Al says weakly.

"The doctor says he'll be weak for a while." Winry says, waving at Riza,"But he'll get to leave soon."

Riza smiles,"That's great to hear."

Roy coughs a little and looks down at Edward,"I was hoping I could talk to you, Fullmetal- I mean, Edward."

Ed looks up at him and frowns,"Why? Is something wrong, Colonel?"

Roy looks around the room,"Come out to the hallway, please."

Ed looks at Al and shrugs,"I'll be right back, everyone."

Riza opens the door and Roy steps out, followed by Edward. Roy continues down the hallway, Ed following after him into an empty medical room. Shutting the door behind them, Mustang looks around the room, leaving Ed to watch him in confusion. After a few moments, Roy takes a stop in front of him and looks down at him.

"I don't think this war is over." He says straight faced,"Strange things are happening."

Ed looks at him confused,"What's going on, Colonel?"

Mustang looks around again, then continues,"You remember that tunnel system that that monster talked about, right?"

"The transmutation circle dug under the country?" Ed asks him, his arms crossed,"Of course I remember it. It's only been a few days. How could I not remember it?"

"Well, I've had some men scout around the tunnels." Roy explains, then stops to look around again.

"Colonel, why are you being so paranoid?" Ed asks him, looking around the room.

"After what happened with Hughes, you can never be too careful." Roy says, glaring at Ed.

Ed gulps a little, then continues talking,"Please continue, Colonel."

"I sent about twenty troop members into the tunnels. Half went the way you traveled and the other half went the other way." Roy explains.

A small knock upon the door interrupts them and Roy glares at Edward. Roy cautiously walks to the door, slowly opens it and sighs. Ed looks around Roy and sees Armstrong and Riza standing inside the doorway.

"Colonel, we've come to join you." Armstrong says, nodding down at Riza.

"And, how do I know you are who you look like?" Roy says, glaring down at them.

Riza rolls her eyes,"Cut it out, Colonel. You know the only person who could do that is on our side and we haven't been able to find him since."

Roy nods at her and allows her past. Then he glares up at Armstrong. Armstrong sighs and simply flexes his muscles; hints of sparkles flashing upon his goofy smile. Ed smirks a little but stops when Roy glares at him. Roy sighs and steps aside, allowing Armstrong to come inside the room. He quickly shuts and locks the door behind them, looking around to make sure everything is still okay.

"Edward, would you kindly help me search them?" Roy says, nodding at Ed.

Armstrong holds out his arms as Edward pats him down. Riza glares at Mustang causing him to blush a little.

"No need for that, Colonel." she says, straight faced.

After Ed finishes his search, Roy nods at everyone and lowers his voice.

"So, you all know about me sending troops into the tunnels." Roy says, looking around at them.

Everyone nods their heads.

"Well, everything went fine these past couple of days. It wasn't until this morning that everything changed." Roy says, seriously.

Roy looks around the room, then continues,"Only three of my men have returned. None of them know what happened to the others."

Ed looks at Mustang curiously,"Have you tried sending more people down there to search for them?"

Roy glares at him,"And risk losing more men? No."

Ed sighs, running his hands through his hair.

"Do these men at least remember anything about their expedition?" Riza asks Roy.

"No. And that's what is weird. They don't seem to remember anything at all about being in the tunnels." Roy grunts.

"Almost as if their minds had been reverted back to before the expedition. Weird." Ed says, his arms crossed.

"We've done tests on them and have tried hypnosis. They can't remember anything and nothing else seems out of the ordinary." Roy explains.

"Perhaps we should go check it out." Ed suggests, a smirk upon his face.

"I agree with Fullmetal... er.. Edward." Armstrong says, nodding at Ed.

"While it seems like a good idea, I don't know if we should risk it." Roy says, frowning.

"Maybe they stumbled upon more.." Ed says, lowering his voice then continuing,"Super soldiers?"

"It's likely." Riza says,"Still doesn't explain why they don't remember anything."

"I had the idea of doing some research." Roy explains, quickly looking around, then continuing,"We need to find out where all the side tunnels are."

"Okay, but that still won't help us figure out what's going on." Ed says, annoyed.

"If we can figure out where all the side tunnels are, then perhaps something will spring up in their minds." Roy explains.

"I guess that makes sense. But, how are you going to do that?" Ed asks him.

"There were plans in Bradley's office that I managed to snatch before they took everything out of his office." Roy says with a smirk,"I just have to study them."

"And, what if these men don't remember anything?" Armstrong asks.

"Then, we send out a new expedition." Roy says, looking around,"But it will consist of those of us I deem able to carry out the expedition without disappearing."

"So, you mean us, then?" Ed says, his arms crossed.

"Yes." Roy grunts.

"But, this doesn't mean that the war isn't over, Colonel." Ed says, eyeing him.

"That's not the only unusual thing that has happened." Roy explains, quickly looking around the room.

"Colonel, stop being paranoid." Riza says, glaring at him.

Roy sighs,"I don't know if you've noticed, but everything in Bradley's office disappeared."

"And?" Armstrong says, confused.

"I can't find any records of Bradley or his son." Roy explains, his arms crossed,"And, the bodies of those super soldiers have just disappeared."

Ed looks at him, curiously,"Are you sure the military didn't remove them after the war was over? We weren't in that hall after everything that happened."

"I'm sure of it!" Mustang growls,"On top of that, Laboratory five has been completely destroyed."

Ed looks at him shocked,"Destroyed?! But- it was still up during the battle."

"Well, it's completely gone. No building at all." Riza says, nodding at Roy.

"That's quite strange." Armstrong says, thinking to himself.

"But, there isn't a high branch of military right now to make any decisions like that." Ed says, confused.

"Well, it's happened." Riza says,"We can take you there if we have to, Edward."

"It's alright, Colonel, I believe you. It's just strange." Ed says, thinking out loud.

"So, what's the current plan, then?" Armstrong asks, before quickly looking around the room.

"For now, we say nothing else to each other." Roy says, looking around at the others,"I'll do my research and we can meet at a later date."

"How will we know when to meet?" Ed asks, annoyed.

"I'll find you." Roy says,"Until then, just go about your lives as if you know nothing unusual is happening."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Armstrong says with a nod of his head.

"And, Fullmetal- do me a favor. If you see that monster or that girl who was with him, bring them to me." Roy says with a grunt.

"What? You still think they're bad guys?" Ed says, annoyed.

"Colonel, you know they were on our side." Riza says, eyeing him.

"The girl I can trust. It's that monster I can't trust." Roy says, his hands in fist,"I think he has something to do with this!"

Ed sighs,"Colonel.. I'll see if I can find her. But I'm not going to treat them like they're our enemies. They did help stop Father."

Roy growls a little and pulls open the door,"Until then."

Riza follows him out of the room and shuts the door behind them.

"This doesn't sound good." Armstrong says,"I wonder if I can tell Olivier?"

"I wouldn't say anything just yet" Ed says, opening the door,"Who knows? Colonel Mustang could just be going insane."

* * *

><p>After another long; busy day at work, Darby had settled into bed for the night. Envy, irritated as usual, had taken to moping in the corner while she slept. However, the arrival of familiar presence appears, bringing Envy out of his moping. Taking a stand, his hands on his hips, Envy glares at the door right as a loud knock resounds against the wood. Still quite shaken up over her suspicions, Darby quickly hops out of bed and takes a stand beside Envy.<p>

"What the hell do you want?!" Envy barks, holding an arm in front of Darby defensively.

"Darby, is that you?" comes the all too familiar voice of Edward.

Darby quickly throws open the door and is shocked to see Ed standing before her.

"How did you find us?" Darby says, pulling her robes around her.

"Well, I was assigned a few tasks. Finding you two was one of them." Ed explains, running his new hand through his hair.

"Is there a reason you were looking for us, pipsqueak?" Envy growls from behind her.

Ed glares at him, clenching his hands into fists,"You want to come over here and say that to my face?!"

"Envy- please.." Darby says, holding Envy back,"Continue what you were saying, Edward."

"I can't tell you exactly why I'm assigned to look for you." Ed says, looking around him,"Colonel suspects something and needs your help."

"I knew it." Darby says under her breath.

Ed looks at her confused,"What are you talking about?"

"She thinks the war isn't over." Envy says, rolling his eyes and leaning against the door frame.

"Keep your voice down!" Ed hisses at him,"We can't be too careful."

Envy snorts a little, walking back into the room; irritated.

"Is there anywhere we can talk?" Darby asks him, excitement in her voice.

"I'll let you get dressed and we'll meet downstairs." Ed says, yawning,"We'll go somewhere from there."

Darby nods her head at him and quickly shuts the door.

"Envy, you've got to cooperate more." Darby says, digging some clothing out of their small trunk. They had only been at the inn for two days, but had already rushed out and bought some clothing and furniture for their new "home".

Envy growls,"Are you kidding me?! I wash those stupid dishes for you without bitching and I stay inside. Now, you're telling me to do more stuff?!"

Darby frowns at him,"Sorry. It's just, I don't trust the military what with everything that happened."

"And?" Envy says, rolling his eyes,"I've said it once and I will say it again- I can take care of myself just fine."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Darby says, glaring at him, "There aren't anymore red stones. We can't exactly just go to the supermarket and buy you some."

"Trust me- I don't get hurt that easily." Envy says with a matter of fact smile.

Darby sighs, throwing on a sweater,"You can never be too careful, Envy."

"Will you quit worrying?!" Envy says, grabbing her into his arms and hugging her against him.

Darby blushes against his chest and looks up at him, noticing the expression upon his face.

"I don't think think that Homunculi are going to be our problem, anymore." he says, frowning.

"What are you saying, Envy?" Darby says, looking up at him.

Envy sighs,"I've been feeling some weird presences that I can't really explain, these past couple of days."

Darby glares at him,"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Didn't think it mattered too much." Envy shrugs.

"So, about those clothes." Darby says with a smirk, eyeing him up and down.

"Yeah, yeah.. I know.." Envy says, rolling his eyes,"I'll go throw on some jeans or something.

With a slight laugh, Darby turns around and allows him to dress into the only outfit he would agree to buy- a pair of black skinny jeans and a white button up shirt.

'We can go now." Envy says, no more than a few moments later. Nodding, Darby opens the door and heads out. Envy shuts and locks the door before they head downstairs.

* * *

><p>They spot Ed sitting at a small table in the far back of the inn, nonchalantly making their way towards him. Envy pulls out the chair for Darby and she sits down; Envy sitting to her right.<p>

"Good job pretending to be a gentleman." Darby says, making Envy snort.

"Do you mind if we leave town?" Ed says quietly, interrupting them,"There are a lot of military personnel in here if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, trust us, we have." Envy says with a smirk, glaring around the bar.

"They're the reason I started getting that feeling." Darby says quietly, looking at a table of soldiers out of the corner of her eye.

"I'll get you back home before it gets too late. I promise." Ed says with a smile.

Nodding at them to follow, Ed gets up and makes his way through the inn. Darby and Envy follow suit, looking at the people around them.

As they walk, Envy's heart begins beating fast as a slight tingle runs down his spine. He looks around the inn, trying to spot the same presence from before but sees nothing. Trying his best to ignore the feeling, he follows them out the door and towards a dark black car.

Ed opens the back door and slides in; they follow suit quickly. With a signal, from Ed, the car starts off quietly.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" Darby asks as the car speeds down one of the many city streets.<p>

"We're heading to the farmland where I used to live." Ed explains, looking out the window at the passing buildings and townsfolk.

"So, can we talk now?" Envy growls, glaring out the window.

"You actually want to talk instead of complain?" Darby says with a smirk,"That's a first."

Envy glares at her,"I felt that presence, again, stupid."

Ed looks at him confused,"What's this presence?"

Envy tries not to get annoyed by Ed, gritting his teeth,"Well, I keep getting this feeling of a weird presence- A creature of some sort. But, _not _anything I've known of before."

Ed rubs his chin in thought,"That's enough to sate my curiosity until we get to my place. Thank you, Envy."

Envy shoots him a dirty look, only to have Darby send him a death glare to shut him up. With a sigh, he looks out the window.

The three of them sit in silence, watching the scenery go by as they make their way to the farmland. Edward thinks over what they told him while the other two gather their composure and contemplate as to whether they're in trouble or not.

* * *

><p>The sun sits high in the sky as they come to a stop outside of a small house.<p>

"Rockbell Automail?" Envy reads, rolling his eyes,"Don't tell me the annoying girl is here."

Ed clenches his teeth,"Will you shut up?!"

"Envy- knock it off." Darby says, patting Envy on the shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever.." Envy mumbles, getting out of the car.

"Do you mind me asking where we are?" Darby asks as they both get out of the car.

"Resembool." Ed says with a sigh,"My hometown."

"Ahh.." Darby says, looking around; taking in the beautiful scenery.

"And, this place here was where me and Al lived after..." Ed begins but frowns as he starts to think of his mom.

"Don't bother if it'll only make you sad." Darby says, gently patting Ed on the shoulder.

Ed smiles at her and quickly changes the subject,"We'll be talking in here."

"We're not alone." Envy barks, glaring at the house; his hands clenched into fists.

"What do you mean?" Darby asks him, confused.

"There are three people in there!" Envy barks,"And one of them is that Mustang creep!"

"So, I take it he found us." Ed says with a smirk.

"What the hell is going on, pipsqueak?!" Envy barks down at Ed,"Is this some kind of trap?!"

Ed closes his eyes to try to keep his composure,"Why would I try to trap you? You're on our side."

"Then why are they here?" Darby says,"We're not in trouble for some reason, are we?"

"Not you, that I know of." Ed says, pointing at her,"But, Envy.. I think they want to question him."

"Well, you'll have to kill me before you take me in for questioning, dammit!" Envy barks, backing away from them.

"As far as I know, Envy, you're innocent." Darby says, grabbing a hold of his wrist,"You've basically been with me at all times since the war's end."

"I don't want to talk to that asshole!" Envy barks, pointing at the house.

"Envy- maybe he knows something about this presence?" Darby says, smiling up at him.

Envy sighs, folding his arms across his chest,"Fine, whatever. But if he tries something fishy- I'm out of here!"

"Don't worry, Envy. I won't let him do anything." Darby says with a smile.

Envy glares at them as they make their way up the stairs.

"It's me." Ed says, knocking on the door,"I know you're in there, Colonel."

The door opens and Riza appears,"I see you found them. Excellent! They're definitely going to be useful."

"Useful?" Envy barks as they make their way through the doorway and into the house.

* * *

><p>Riza shuts the door behind them and stands guard in front of it.<p>

"So nice of you to come." Roy Mustang says, sitting at a small table,"Take a seat- all three of you."

Ed sits at the end of the table while Darby and Envy sit opposite of Mustang.

"Colonel- have you found anything?" Ed asks curiously.

"I have- but, we won't talk about it until we've questioned these two." Colonel says, glaring at them.

Darby nervously grips her knees,"We're not in trouble are we?"

"Why would you think that?" Mustang asks, eyeing her.

"Well, it's just- we sorta disappeared after the war." Darby says,"I thought we may have gotten into trouble, having fought the war and all."

"You're not military personnel, so, I don't see why you'd get into trouble."comes the voice of Armstrong from behind Edward.

"Alright, then. I guess I'm fine with being questioned, then." Darby says with a shrug.

"Where have you been these past few days?" Mustang asks them.

"We've been staying at the Sunny Breeze Inn." Darby says,"The owner gave us jobs and a room to live in."

Roy looks over at Envy,"Is this true, fiend?"

Envy slams his hand on the table,"Will you quit acting like I'm going to kill you?! I'm starting to regret helping you.."

Roy glares at him,"Would you rather I burn you again?! Only, this time, you won't come back!"

"Calm down, Colonel." Riza says, nodding at Roy.

"Envy, settle down. " Darby says, patting him on the arm,"He won't harm you."

Envy huffs a little, glaring at Roy,"To answer your damn question- YES. It's true."

"Thank you." Roy says, writing down some notes,"Have you discussed anything about the war with anyone?"

"No." Darby says simply,"We've completely ignored the subject."

"And, why is that?" Roy asks, eyeing her.

"Because I was trying to start a new life." Darby says with a slight blush.

"With this.. this.. being?" Roy says, glaring at Envy.

"Yes, you idiot, with me." Envy barks, his arms crossed tightly across his chest,"You got a problem with that?"

Darby blushes a little as Roy eyes her.

"If you'll forgive me for the intrusion of your privacy, that would be nice." Roy says, avoiding eye contact.

Darby smiles at him,"No problem at all, Colonel. If it helps to know, everyone who works at the inn can be eye witnesses if you need some."

"That won't be necessary, however." Roy says, brushing aside her suggestion,"Now, to the matter at hand."

He turns to face Envy, causing Envy to glare at him,"Do you know anything about what's been going on around here?"

"What exactly is_ happening _here?" Envy asks him through clenched teeth._  
><em>

"We were hoping that you would know." Mustang says, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Well, hate to burst your bubble, but I don't really know much." Envy says, glaring at him.

"Are you sure?" Roy says, leaning across the table to glare at him.

"If you must know.. _Colonel_, we have been getting strange feelings since we started working at the inn." Envy says, eyeing Roy.

"Can you describe these feelings?" Roy says, grabbing up his pencil.

"Well, Darby, here, has been feeling like the war isn't truly over ever since she overheard some soldiers talking." Envy explains.

"What were they saying?" Roy asks Darby, his pencil ready to write away.

"They were basically saying the military lies- that there's an enemy alive and that Envy here never really helped us." Darby explains.

"Interesting." Roy says, taking down notes,"So, even with the secrecy soldiers are still noticing something is up."

"That's correct." Darby says, trying to sneak a peek at his notes.

"And, what is this feeling you're having, Envy?" Roy says, eyeing him.

"It's more like a presence, if you will." Envy explains,"I have been getting this sneaking suspicion that there's something odd going on."

"What do you mean by presence?" Roy asks him, suspiciously.

"Well, it feels like something not human is around here." Envy shrugs,"As far as I can tell, it's not a homunculus or any other creature that I know of."

"How long have you been feeling this 'presence'?" Roy asks, jotting down notes.

"It's only been a day or two." Envy says with a shrug.

"Any idea where this presence is?" Roy asks him.

"I can tell you that I don't feel it nearby." Envy says, annoyed,"It just shows up at random times."

"Are you sure there weren't any other plans besides the one your Father made?" Roy asks him.

"He's not my Father. And, no, there were no other plans that I know of." Envy explains,"I was in charge of ensuring our plans were carried through."

"And, you can see how that ended." Roy says with a smirk,"Which gives me the feeling that this surely isn't something you're capable of doing."

"Just what exactly are you getting at?" Envy growls.

"All I'm saying is, I don't think you're responsible for what is going on." Roy shrugs.

"Will you tell us what you found, now, Colonel?" Ed cuts in.

Roy sighs,"Alright, Edward. But, it means we're at a dead end."

"Can you tell us what's going on, first?" Darby asks,"I'd like to be filled in- I've been wondering if you were going to need my help again or not."

"To make a long story short, I sent some men into the underground tunnels to investigate." Roy explains.

"Let me guess- they haven't come back?" Envy snorts.

"That is correct." Roy continues,"Well, all but three haven't returned and these men have no memory of their expedition."

"That's odd." Darby says, confused.

"To make matters worse, these men I just told you about- I found some maps and they don't remember being in the tunnels." Roy says with a sigh.

"What about Bradley's records or office stuff?" Ed asks him.

Roy frowns,"No trace of either of those."

Edward sighs,"Great. Back to square one."

"What are you talking about Wrath for?" Envy asks them curiously.

"His office and all records of him and his son have all disappeared." Roy explains.

Envy smirks,"Sounds like something the army would do."

"Yeah, but, wasn't the army controlled by your people? Riza asks Envy.

"True.. but, hasn't the army been acting odd, still?" Envy says, with a smirk.

"And, you're sure there aren't any homunculi running about?" Roy asks Envy.

"Like I said- I'd have felt them if there were any." Envy says,"You forget- Homunculi can sense each other. This presence- I can't tell what it is."

"Then, that settles it.' Roy says, looking around the room,"We're going to start planning an expedition into the tunnels."


	11. A New Threat

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**A BIG BIG BIG APOLOGY TO MY FELLOW READERS, REVIEWERS, AND FOLLOWERS!**

**Due to surgery, a fall at work, getting married, and moving into my own place, I have been SUPER busy! I'm so very sorry for such a looong break in chapters!**

**As an apology, accept this new chapter along with several more within these next couples of weeks. I really do feel bad for making you all wait so long! I hope this new chapter fulfills your need for more Envy and a new enemy!**

**I appreciate every single one of you guys and gals!**

**A special thanks to TheHiddenDreamer for having stuck with my story and even PMed me to see how things were going! :)**

**-LIZ**

* * *

><p>With a smack, the maps Colonel Mustang found are rolled out and pinned to the table by Armstrong and Riza.<p>

"These outer ones are of the circle as a whole." Riza points out.

"And this one in the middle is where the fight with Father took place." Armstrong says, pounding his fist onto the map.

Mustang removes a pen from his coat pocket and begins drawing lines and x's upon the maps. On the map, signaling the route they took to get to Father, he makes note of their route and the location where they ran into the super soldiers.

"This is the route we all took to reach Father." he says, pointing out his drawings,"I sent my men through the other side of the circle."

At this, he begins drawing out four different routes, all of which lead down side halls and meet up at the center where Father was.

"I have no idea if they ever reached the center or if they even reached the side halls." he says, tapping the pen against the map.

"So, you don't even know where the threat occurred, then?" Darby says, studying the drawings.

"I'm afraid not." Roy says, frowning,"The best idea I can think of is to go down and explore the tunnels."

"You sure that's a good idea, _Colonel?" _Envy says, crossing his arms.

"Do you have a better plan?" Roy says, glaring at him.

Waving his hands in fake defeat, Envy smirks,"Don't look at me, _boss."_

"I've had enough of your attitude. Will someone kindly shut him up?" Roy growls, and glares at Darby.

"Sorry." Darby says, blushing a little and gripping Envy's arm.

Envy looks sideways at her and smiles,"Fine. I'll shut up."

With a smile, Darby looks back at Roy and nods for him to continue.

"So, what's the plan, then?" Ed says, pushing his sleeves up,"When do we go?"

"First off, we need to decide if there are any others that we could include in our plan." Roy says, looking around at the others.

"There's always Alphonse." Riza says, nodding at Edward.

"What about Havoc and Ross?" Roy says, looking up at Riza who blushes as their eyes come into contact.

"I don't know if Al will be able to go down there with us." Ed frowns.

"Maybe he can be our contact on the surface?" Darby says, placing her hand on Ed's shoulder and smiling at him.

"That's a great idea. I'm sure Al would love that." Ed says, smiling back at her.

"Where are Havoc and Ross right now?" Armstrong asks, double checking the house to make sure it's secure.

"Ross is still in hiding. So, it may be a while til we find her." Riza says, causing Roy to frown.

"And, Havoc?"Roy asks Riza who simply shrugs her shoulders, smirking as if she's hiding something.

With a heavy sigh, Roy runs his hand through his hair,"Then, that's that. Looks like it's just the six of us for the expedition, then."

"We'll be fine." Envy says, leaning back in his chair,"We took on Father. This 'threat' can't be that bad."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." Riza says, eyeing him,"Father wasn't capable of erasing memories, was he?"

Envy rolls his eyes,"Yeah, whatever."

Roy coughs to silence them, then continues,"We'll start right away, if you don't mind."

"Alright." Ed says, sitting up in his seat,"Are we leaving today?"

"We're not going anywhere near those tunnels until we have a completed plan." Roy says, glaring at Edward.

Smiling in embarrassment, Ed shrinks back into his seat, scratching his head,"Sorry, Colonel."

"We need to create two routes." Roy explains, pointing at both ends of the circle they hadn't explored,"Half of us go one way; the other half the other way."

"Are you sure splitting up is such a good idea?" Darby says nervously,"I mean, you had several men who were unable to fend for themselves."

"True. However, did these several men fight and defeat Father?" Roy says with a smirk.

"Or have alchemic powers?" Ed says, winking at Darby.

"Besides, you'll be with me so there's nothing to worry about." Envy says with a smirk, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and causing her to blush.

"We'll have you two and Armstrong take this route." Roy says, pointing to the Southern route,"It's the route where the three remaining men were found."

"That's a good sign, I hope." Darby says, tracing the route with her finger.

"Me, Edward, and Hawkeye will take the Northern route." Roy says, looking to Edward and then Riza and nodding at them.

"How will we use Alphonse as our surface contact?" Ed asks him, eyeing the Northern route.

"We'll use some old Military walkie talkies." Riza says, holding up a small black bag,"If you find any survivors or anything strange, message the walkie talkie."

"And, then what?" Envy says, crossing his arms,"A message on a walkie talkie isn't going to save our asses if something we can't handle shows up."

"Yeah, but, it can help us track your location." Roy says, glaring at him,"If anything does show up, don't do anything drastic."

"I can handle myself, thank you!" Envy barks, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, well, Darby and Armstrong aren't.. different.. like you." Ed says through gritted teeth.

Darby places a hand upon Envy's shoulder to calm him and smiles over at Edward.

"We've already got an enemy. Drop it, you two." Riza says, looking from Ed to Envy and back again.

"Tomorrow, at noon, we will travel to our appointed routes." Roy says, looking around the room.

"Where are the entrances?" Darby asks, looking around at the maps.

"The entrance to the Northern route is located underneath of a cellar in a small cottage." he explains,"The Southern in an alley behind a noodle shop."

"Any precautions we should take?" Armstrong asks, flexing his muscles.

"Just be on your guard. Don't leave any direction, whether it be up, down, behind you or to the side, unguarded." Roy says, folding up a map.

"Everyone needs to get a good night's rest. Eat a decent meal, pack up necessities." Riza explains, handing out the walkie talkies to everyone.

"What necessities should we bring?" Darby asks, helping fold a map.

"Food, weaponry, and other such items." Riza explains, handing her a walkie talkie,"We could be down there for days."

"Lucky me!" Envy says with a smirk,"All I need is the clothing on my back."

Darby elbows him, causing him to laugh a little.

"Until tomorrow, then?" Roy says, folding up the last of the maps and placing them into his coat pocket.

"See ya!" Envy says, getting up and rushing over to the door.

"Someone's in a hurry to die!" Darby laughs, following after him.

"Armstrong- would you please accompany them?" Roy says, saluting Alex before throwing on his coat.

Alex Armstrong returns the gesture then follows after the two lovebirds.

"Where'd the other car come from?" Envy says, looking from the car they came in to the new black car that had mysteriously showed up.

The window to the new car rolls down and a familiar voice reaches Armstrong and Envy's ears.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" comes the angry voice of Havoc.

Envy glares at the driver of the car,"I thought Lust paralyzed you."

"She did.. Marcoh undid it, however." Havoc says with a smirk, flicking his cigarette at Envy.

"How bout I undo that?!" Envy barks, brandishing a fist at him.

Darby holds out her hand, keeping him away from Havoc,"Will you knock it off?!"

"Will _someone _tell me why the hell these people are here?!" Havoc growls, slamming his hand onto the car horn.

The door to the house slams shut behind them, Armstrong and the others taking a stand beside them.

A big smile spreads across Roy's face, causing Riza to blush a little,"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

"Good to see you, Mustang!" Havoc says, waving a hand at him.

"Hey, Havoc!" Ed says happily, waving his new arm at him.

"Well, looks like you're back to your old self, huh?" Havoc says, smiling at Edward.

"I told you I could keep a secret!" Riza shouts out, causing Havoc to smile brightly.

"Good to see you again, Hawkeye; Armstrong." Havoc says, nodding at the two of them,"Now, would someone mind telling me why the hell Envy is here?!"

Scratching his head, Mustang laughs a little nervously,"You see.. he kind of helped us kill Father?"

"He what?!" Havoc says, eyeing Envy and Darby in shock.

"Why is that so surprising?!" Envy barks, rolling his eyes.

"I thought you were the enemy?" Havoc says, glaring at him,"I mean- you killed Hughes! Why the hell would Mustang side with you?"

"Things sort of changed." Envy says, slightly blushing and looking over at the girl.

The girl looks down at her feet nervously, her cheeks bright red; causing Envy to smirk.

"Who's the cutie?" Havoc says, pointing his thumb at Darby.

"That's Darby- she joined us not too long ago." Ed explains, smiling over at her,"Helped us capture Envy and fight Father."

"Oh, really?" Havoc says, smiling with a slight wink at Darby.

"Don't get any ideas, asshole!" Envy barks, wrapping an arm around Darby's waist.

"Wait a minute- I see what's going on here." Havoc says, eyeing them with a grin.

Edward takes a stand in front of them,"It's nothing important, really. How about we get back to the problem at hand?"

Havoc looks from the blushing Darby, to the glaring Envy and back to Darby, smirking,"Alright, sounds good. So, who's riding with me?"

"We are." Roy says, removing his gloves and taking a few steps towards the car,"Edward and Hawkeye are coming along."

"Sounds good!" Havoc says, nodding at Roy and rolling his window back up.

Roy opens the door and gestures for Riza to get in, both of them slightly blushing.

"Come along, Full Metal." Roy barks, climbing in after Riza.

"See you both later." Ed says, waving at Darby and Envy and running over to the car.

Ed climbs into the car, slamming the door shut; the car speeding away quickly.

"So, if Havoc is driving that car, who was driving this one?" Armstrong grunts from beside them.

"Beats me." Envy says with a shrug,"Can't tell who it is."

"I'll go check." Darby says nervously, walking up to the passenger side window and tapping on it.

"Oh, are you ready to go?" comes a nervous female voice as the window slowly rolls down.

"Sciezka is that you?" Armstrong says, struggling to bend down and take a look at her.

"Y-yes it's me." Sciezka stutters, rolling down the window all the way.

She smiles at Armstrong and Darby, but begins shrieking when she spots Envy.

"Get away from me! Go away! Shoo; Shoo!" she yells, struggling to roll the window up.

"Sciezka, there's no need to be scared." Armstrong says, grabbing a hold of the window and keeping it from rolling up.

Sciezka nervously looks at him, trying not to look at Envy,"I thought he was the bad guy!?"

"Key word _was." _Envy barks, kicking at the dirt with his foot.

"He's on our side, now." Darby says, peering through the window crack.

Sciezka eyes her suspiciously,"Who are you?"

"This is Envy and Darby." Armstrong says,"They're good guys."

"Fair enough." Sciezka squeaks, rolling up the window.

"Ready to get going?" Armstrong says, holding open the door for Darby.

Darby smiles up at him before climbing inside; followed by an annoyed Envy.

With a small huff, Armstrong squeezes himself inside and shuts the door.

* * *

><p>The car comes to a stop outside of the Sunny Breeze Inn.<p>

"So, this is your home?" Armstrong says, opening the door and pushing himself out.

"Home Sweet Home." Darby says, climbing out the other door.

"You can say that again." Envy says sarcastically, climbing out after her.

"Envy, don't be so mean." Darby says, elbowing him in the side.

With a smirk, Envy grabs her around the waist and pulls her against him, looking down at her evilly.

Blushing a little, she wraps her arms around his waist and cuddles against him; looking up at him.

"Alright, you two lovebirds, mind showing us in?" Sciezka says, stepping out of the driver's seat.

The two of them blush brightly and Darby quickly pulls away,"Yes. Sorry. Right this way!"

"Would you mind carrying in our luggage?" Sciezka asks Envy nervously.

"What do I look like, a slave?!" Envy barks at her.

Shrieking a little, Sciezka runs towards Armstrong, hiding behind him.

"Will you do it for me, Envy?" Darby says, smirking at him.

"Fine, whatever!" Envy says, eyeing her evilly.

"You two will love it here!" Darby says, gesturing for Armstrong and Sciezka to follow her.

"I help them out and what the hell do they do?- they make me their bitch!" Envy barks, slamming his fist against the trunk to open it up.

As the trunk comes to a halt, Envy's senses perk up; the same presence sensation tingling down his back.

"What the hell?" He says, taking a few steps away from the car and towards a nearby building.

A small creak in a side door causes Envy to check his surroundings before making his way towards the door.

"Show yourself!" he barks, approaching the door.

"So, it's true." comes a shrill voice, making its way out from behind the door,"There is still a homonculus living in this world."

Envy watches as spindly fingers wrap around the door and push it open,"Yeah. What of it?"

Standing his ground, his hands clenched into fists, Envy glares at the strange figure that appears.

Its body as tall as the top of the door frame, the figure steps out into the moonlight, revealing itself,"Curious."

Envy notices its coal black eyes and pale skin; strange red veins running through its body.

"Who are you?" Envy barks, eyeing the figure carefully.

"I have no name." The figure says, wrapping its cloak tightly around itself.

"What are you?" he says, taking a step backward,"Clearly you're not a filthy human. Nor are you a homunculus or a chimera."

"That is correct." the figure says, stepping closer to him,"I am neither of those things."

"Then, what the hell are you?!" Envy barks, backing up to keep his distance from the figure.

The figure sighs heavily,"I do not know what you would call my kind."

"Your kind?" Envy says, glaring at the figure,"Where did you come from? Who sent you?"

"Suspicious one, aren't you?" the figure says, reaching out towards him with a long; bony arm.

Envy takes another step backwards,"Don't come any closer, dammit!"

"Do not be afraid." The figure says, taking another step towards him,"You are not a mortal. And, therefore, are not an enemy."

Looking at the figure in confusion, Envy lowers his guard,"So, you're an enemy to humans, then?"

An evil smirk makes its way upon the figure's lip-less face,"In a way, yes."

"Why have you been following me?" Envy says, staring at the figure.

"I wasn't following you. I was merely going for a stroll." the figure shrugs, coming closer to him.

"Like hell you were!" Envy barks, rolling his eyes.

"I see why most of your kind have died off." the figure says with a sigh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Envy growls, glaring at the figure.

"I tire of your constant prattle." the figure says, shooing him away and turning around.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Envy says, grabbing a hold of the figure's wrist,"You're not going anywhere til you answer my questions!"

With what one would assume was a glare, the figure turns towards Envy; its body lighting up with a red glow.

"What the-?" Envy begins, trying to pry his hands away from the figure, only to find they've been attached to its arm by some force.

A horrible shock explodes through Envy's body, attacking his Philosopher's Stone core.

With growls of pain, Envy falls to his knees, gripping at his chest,"What. the. hell. did. you. do. to. me?!"

Ripping its arm away from Envy, the figure wraps its cloak around itself,"Nothing really. Just the equivalent of a gunshot wound for a human."

"That.. doesn't explain.. anything.." Envy pants from the ground, struggling to stand up,"What did you do to my stone?!"

"I don't need to explain my actions to you." the figure says, stepping away from him,"You may not be a mortal, but, your kind is still below us."

"Again with the.. endless nonsense." Envy growls, standing up slowly on shaky legs,"Just answer my damn questions!"

The figure sighs deeply,"Will you agree to silence yourself if I do?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.." Envy pants, glaring at the figure.

"Fine." the figure says, extending a scrawny hand towards him and poking him on the forehead,"Listen carefully for I shall only tell you this once."

Breathing heavily, Envy stares at the figure, trying his hardest to deal with the pain from the shock that seems to have done something to his core.

"We are god's new children. From where we come? I do not know." The figure says, crossing its arms,"I simply woke up. I do not answer to anyone."

"What are your plans?" Envy says, fighting to keep himself up,"How many of you are there?"

"That, I do not know." The figure says,"I know there are others. I know we do not like humans and humans should not be living. God has told us that much."

"God talks to you?" Envy says, confused,"What kind of crap is that?!"

"It's the same as what those filthy humans call truth." the figure says,"Know that our paths may or may not cross again."

"I'll make sure we meet again." Envy barks, falling back down to his knees.

"Seeing at how your kind can sense us, I'm sure we will." the figure says, nodding at him before turning to leave.

Envy grips at his chest, the pain still throbbing and watches as the figure walks back through the door.

Mustering up as much strength as he can, he slowly crawls towards the door, gripping it and throwing it open.

Looking around, he can make out all four walls and the floor; no trap doors can be seen, nor can the presence of the figure be sensed.

"Where did it go?" he says, confused, punching the door frame and splitting it.

Sighing, he struggles to stand, the pain in his chest slightly reducing.

As he grips the door frame for support, a smirk makes its way upon his face as he senses Darby's presence.

"Envy?" she shouts, making her way towards the car and noticing the still full trunk,"Envy?!"

"Quit your yapping!" he yells loudly, causing her to jump a little.

"Where are you?!" she shouts, looking around; unable to see anything.

Envy grips the nearby building and makes his way towards her,"Behind you, idiot!"

She turns around and can just barely make him out in the moonlight.

"Envy! Omigosh!" she says, running over towards him,"What happened?"

Smirking at her, Envy wraps an arm around her shoulders and she helps him stand.

"I followed the presence." he says, panting,"Definitely not human or homunculii."

"What is it, then?" she asks, helping him make his way to the hotel.

"I'll tell you later. Can we get the hell inside?!" he says, worried the figure would come back to hurt her.

"Of course!" Darby says, struggling to walk quickly under his weight,"We were worried about you!"

"Yeah, well, worry about yourselves." he barks, taking a step towards the entrance,"I have enough to worry about, as it is."

Darby throws open the door and helps him inside.

Envy takes one last look behind him, staring at the car; glaring at what appears to be the same figure.

The door swings shut, closing off the figure and the outside world from him.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what did you think?<strong>

**I know the new enemy doesn't seem quite as cool as the homunculii and Father did. But, I guarantee you, things will start getting crazy, soon!**

**I hope to hear back from some of you old fans and hope to make a few new fans as well!**

**-LIZ**


	12. Branded By God

**A BIG BIG BIG APOLOGY TO MY FELLOW READERS, REVIEWERS, AND FOLLOWERS!**

**Work just gets in the way of everything.. sorry it takes so long to write these chapters and updates.**

**I really hope you'll like this!**

**I appreciate every single one of you guys and gals!**

**A special thanks to TheHiddenDreamer for having stuck with my story and even PMed me to see how things were going! :)**

**-LIZ**

* * *

><p>The couple appear in the doorway of the bar, Envy limping beside Darby with his teeth clenched. Despite the small amount of people in the bar, no one takes notice of their presence, going about their business.<p>

"Quick! Get a chair for Envy!" Darby hisses towards her friends at the bar, helping Envy into the building.

A concerned Armstrong rushes over to them leaving Sciezka to deal with their drinks.

"What's going on?" he asks, pushing a chair from a nearby table towards them.

Envy sits down, his weight causing the chair to groan, and bends forward.

"Give me a second!" Envy barks, gripping at his chest and breathing deeply; his chest on fire.

Darby crouches in front of him, holding his hand with worry,"Don't rush yourself. Please take your time."

Envy closes his eyes, feeling the pain in his chest slowly dwindle. At the same time, the familiar tingling sensation makes its way down his spine.

"What happened?" Armstrong says, placing a hand upon Envy's shoulder.

Growling in annoyance, Envy pushes his hand off of him as he realizes the creature hadn't left the area and is lurking somewhere nearby.

"I don't think it's a good idea to talk here." he snaps, looking towards the entrance. Standing there scowling at them through the window is the same creature from before.

A few stragglers are passed out at tables or talking quietly at the bar, having noticed nothing. Sciezka comes walking their way, carrying a tray of beer mugs. She notices them sitting around Envy and frowns.

"Where's our luggage?" she says, setting the tray down upon the nearby table.

Envy looks at her, shooting a death glare her way. With a little shriek, she quickly sits down at the table, hiding her face against the table.

"W-what's going on?" she squeaks quietly, slowly looking sideways at Darby.

The pain having dwindled to a bearable state, Envy stands up quickly,"Quit your yapping! We're going upstairs if we're gonna talk. Now, go!"

"B-but, our drinks-!" Sciezka whines, sitting up and frowning.

"Sorry, Sciezka." Darby says softly, trying not to startle Sciezka.

With a growl, Envy storms towards the stairs, leaving the others to stand there looking after him.

Exhaling impatiently, he takes a stand upon the bottom stair; placing a hand upon his hip,"What're you waiting for?!"

"Best get a move on." Armstrong says, gesturing towards the ladies.

Sciezka sighs and stands up from the table, taking her mug of beer with her as she joins them. Together they make their way towards the stairs, winding through the maze of tables and chairs; Sciezka chugging down her beer before setting the mug down upon the last table they pass.

As Darby takes a stand upon the first step, Envy appears at the top of the stairs, a look of worry upon his face.

"Will you get your asses up here already?!" he hisses, looking around at his surroundings.

"Envy, calm down. We're coming." Darby says, rolling her eyes and taking another step towards him.

"What's going on?" Sciezka panics, taking shaky steps up the stairs.

Armstrong pats her upon the shoulder as they ascend the stairs,"Nothing to worry about, friend."

"Envy, would you quit freaking out Sciezka ?!" Darby growls, reaching the top of the stairs.

"Hurry up, already!" Envy snaps, keeping an eye at the place below them, the tingling sensation in his spine becoming stronger.

The other two finish their climb, waiting at the top for Envy to make a move. Looking at the stairs apprehensively, Envy turns around and makes his way towards their place. The others follow after him in confusion, looking behind themselves just in case.

Darby unlocks the door, allowing Sciezka and Armstrong to file in before following behind them.

Envy lingers outside of the room, staring down the hallway. The lights overhead begin flickering; a sharp pain coursing through his chest again. Clenching his teeth tightly, he grips at his chest, noticing a strange blur crossing the stairs. Its movements almost faster than his eye can see, it makes its way right at him. Taking a deep breath to ignore the pain, Envy grips the doorknob and slams the door shut, holding it closed. The blur approaches the door; scratching deep gashes into the wood causing the people in side to become startled.

"Envy? What's going on?!" Darby calls from the other side of the door, pulling on the doorknob, but unable to open the door.

"What was that noise?" Armstrong calls out, irritating Envy.

An evil hiss fills Envy's ears, causing his vision to become white as the pain sears in his chest. Falling to his knees, Envy holds onto the doorknob tightly; glaring ahead at the hallway before him. He spies a dark wisp retreating down the stairs, as his vision quickly becomes normal again.

The lights quit flickering and he takes a deep breath of relief, feeling the pain in his chest quickly subside. Busy scanning the hallway for any more unwanted visitors, he barely notices the pounding from behind the door.

With a wary glance, he quickly lets go of the doorknob, watching Darby fall backwards from trying to open it. Ignoring the anger upon her face, he quickly shuts and locks the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Darby asks him, glaring at him from upon the floor.

"Sit down and shut up!" Envy barks, glaring at the people in the room,"And, don't go anywhere near the door or window."

Sciezka squeaks a little in fear, sitting upon the bed,"We're going to die, aren't we?"

Envy rolls his eyes,"No, you idiot! Somebody do something about her."

Armstrong sighs and takes a seat beside her, placing a hand upon hers,"Sciezka, stay calm."

Glaring at the door behind him, Envy begins to speak,"If you want to know what happened, I'm going to need you all to shut up."

Darby frowns from her place upon the floor,"We're waiting..."

Envy sighs, before sitting upon the ground,"So, you know how I've been feeling a presence, right?"

Armstrong and Darby nod their heads in acknowledgement, giving him the sign to continue.

"Well, right after little bitch, here, told me to get the luggage-" he snarls, glaring daggers at Sciezka,"I felt the presence. Only, this time it was stronger."

Darby looks over at the window nervously; Sciezka squeaking in fear and hiding under the blanket upon the bed.

"So, you saw this _presence?_" Armstrong asks, looking around the room defensively.

"That's what I was about to get to, stupid." Envy growls,"Will you all just shut up? I'm serious- if you don't zip it, I'll do it for you."

Darby glares at him angrily and he returns the glare, causing her to frown.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted-" he continues, glaring at the other two people in the room,"I felt the presence and so I followed it towards a nearby building. This presence or creature or whatever it is was hiding in a small room before it showed itself."

He quits talking and listens to his surroundings, ensuring the presence is gone before continuing.

"This thing was odd. It barely had a face and its body was covered in these weird red veins." he describes, rubbing his chest,"And, it had these claws.."

Sciezka meeps from under the blanket, causing Envy to sigh in annoyance,"You think that's scary? I'll give you something to be scared of!"

"Envy, don't you dare!" Darby says angrily, scooting closer towards him.

He smirks at her evilly,"Hey- you said you wanted to know what happened, so, I'm telling you."

Darby rolls her eyes at him to continue, causing him to mess up her hair.

"This creature is an enemy to humans. At least, that's what it told me." Envy says, snorting at Sciezka's muffled cries.

"An enemy to humans?" Armstrong repeats, rubbing his chin,"So, it's a homunculus?"

"No. It's not a homunculus. Honestly, the creature didn't even know what its own kind was." Envy says, shaking his head.

Darby looks at him, confused,"So, you're telling me this _thing _is an enemy to humans yet it doesn't even know what it is?"

Envy snorts in amusement,"I know, right?!"

Stretching, he continues talking,"Anyways, It called itself God's Children and said that God tells it that humans shouldn't be allowed to live."

"Could this thing be responsible for what happened in the tunnels?" Darby questions, frowning.

"All I know is, that fucker really pisses me off! I'd like to know what he did to my stone" Envy growls, punching the floor.

"Is that what happened to you out there?" Armstrong asks, noticing a strange red streak running down Envy's arm.

"Well, I tried to get it to answer my questions and when I grabbed its arm, it started glowing red and my chest felt like it was exploding." Envy says, grabbing at his chest.

Armstrong taps Darby upon her shoulder and points towards Envy's arm, the red streak slightly glowing red.

Darby frowns, bringing herself closer to Envy,"So, you don't know what that creature did to your stone?"

Envy glares at her,"What are you- stupid? All I know is they claimed to have given me the equivalent of a gunshot wound for a human."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Darby says, confused,"Because, whatever they did to you, Envy, is causing some sort of mark on your arm."

Looking at her in confusion, Envy looks down at his arms and notices the red streak on the arm he is using to grip his chest.

His jaw becomes tight with anger as he touches the mark, watching it glow the same eerie red the creature's veins glowed.

Growling angrily, he slams his fist into the floor,"That does it. None of you idiots are going anywhere. We're all staying here for the night."

"But, Riza told us to relax for the night to ready ourselves for tomorrow." Sciezka whines, causing Envy to shoot daggers in her direction,"I'm so hungry.."

"Hey, big man- you stay here and watch them. I'll get these idiots some food. Don't let them leave the room." Envy growls towards Armstrong, standing up.

Armstrong acknowledges him with a nod of his head, standing up from the bed and looking out the window.

Cautiously Envy grabs the doorknob, unlocking it and slowly opening the door. With darting eyes, he scans the hallway before exiting the room and slamming the door shut behind himself. With quick strides, he exits down the stairs, listening for the creature.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he notices the place is closed up for the night, wondering if the other idiot humans had gotten themselves killed. Glad the presence hasn't shown, he heads over to the kitchen to find some food. Noticing the remains of their usual night's dinner in the trash, he growls in frustration hoping that he can at least find some bread for them to eat.

"Gah.. why can't they just not eat?" he mumbles under his breath, digging through the barrels in the kitchen. He finds some apples and decides that'll have to do. Grabbing them up into his arms, he heads out of the kitchen, but stops short as his chest begins burning.

"Fuck! Not again!" he growls, accidentally dropping the apples and grabbing at his chest.

Irritated with this creature for messing with him, he bends down to pick up the apples. Snatching them up quickly, he bends up and comes face to face with a figure different than the one from before. Its coal black eyes stare back at him, giving him slight chills.

Glaring at the figure, Envy stands there with the apples in his arms and his chest burning painfully. The creature remains motionless, its dark cloak flowing around it as if a breeze were in the room with them.

Drawing up its lipless mouth, the creature smirks at him revealing tiny razor sharp teeth before reaching one of his long; claw-like hands towards the apples in his arms. Envy watches the thing examine the apple before crushing it in its hand. Dropping the fruit, the creature speaks,"A homunculus. What could you be doing with this fruit? You don't need sustenance." The fruit juices drip down its arm, over the many red veins.

Interrupting their conversation, a scream rings through the bar to their right. Envy glares at the creature as he notices it's coming from the Barkeep's room. The creature hisses at him before fleeing in a blur towards the scream. Dropping the apples, Envy begins rushing towards the stairs, noticing another creature passing him by in a flash.

With his jaw set tightly, he takes the stairs quickly, more screams issuing forth from the rooms in the hallway.

"What the fuck is going on?!" he barks, reaching the door to his room and kicking it off its hinges. The door goes flinging through the air, busting the window and falling to the ground below.

The shrieks of Sciezka and Darby resound as Armstrong appears before the doorframe, ready for a fight. Noticing Envy, he lowers his fists and allows him to pass, looking around the hallway.

"Get the hell up- we need to leave!" Envy barks, yanking Darby up from the ground by an arm.

The screams of the barkeep family and its other guests ring through the air, causing Sciezka to panic. Envy rolls his eyes and gestures for Armstrong to grab Sciezka.

"What's going on?!" Darby hisses, chills running down her back as the man in the room beside them begins shrieking.

"There are more of those things." Envy barks, looking around the room,"We need to get the hell out of here!"

"Where did they come from?" Armstrong asks, Sciezka thrashing around on his shoulder.

"Like I know." Envy says, rolling his eyes,"All I know is, you've lost your little home and job, Darby."

Darby glares at his nonchalant attitude,"What is it you're saying, Envy?"

"As if these screams aren't enough of an answer for you?" Envy barks, sighing with irritation.

"What?! No!" Darby panics, rushing past him into the hallway.

"God damn it!" Envy barks, going after her and grasping her arm tightly,"There's nothing you can do for them."

"We can't just let them die- Not after what they've done for us!" Darby yells, tears forming in her eyes,"Envy- do something!"

Envy exhales a shaky breath, irritated by the fact that he's found an enemy he can't defeat,"I can't help them. I can't even help my fucking self!"

Gripping her tightly, he pulls her into the room roughly. He stares down at her crying before glaring as the usual tingling sensation pricks at his spine. A growl escapes his mouth and he turns around, throwing a punch; his fist colliding with another creature. The figure shrieks loudly, causing the three humans in the room to cover their ears in pain.

It quickly picks itself off of the floor, rushing towards Envy with its claws aiming for his chest. Throwing up his arms, he blocks the attack from the creature, watching the creature retreat a few steps backwards.

This figure, yet another new creature, stands before him completely devoid of clothing. Its pale body glows a faint red as the millions of veins running through it stream with weird red liquid. Lacking any physical traits of gender, the creature glares down at Envy.

"Why do you get in my way? You are not my enemy." it says with a hiss, eyeing the three humans in the room behind Envy.

"Because you dumbasses have made this my fight." Envy barks, holding up his arm and flashing the red mark at the creature.

The creature flashes a hideous smile, grasping his arm in his claw-like hand,"You have been branded by God and you are mad about it?"

Envy glares at him before looking down at his arm,"Branded by God? The hell you talking about?!"

A raspy sigh escapes the creature, his coal black eyes peering at him in disgust,"And to think you find your kind superior."

Sciezka shrieks from behind Envy as the remaining glass in the window shatters; another figure having made its way into the room.

"Dammit!" Envy barks, the figure from the hall rushing past him in a blur and heading towards Darby who rushes to hide behind Armstrong.

Armstrong takes a step in front of the creatures, holding his fists up in defense,"Get back. Leave this place and I won't harm you."

The figure from the window shrieks again, causing Sciezka to cry out in fear and rush towards the bed. With a hiss, the creature grasps her arms in both hands, lifting her up in the air. Envy runs towards the figure grasping Sciezka and punches it directly in the face. The figure turns to hiss at him, dropping Sciezka hard upon the ground.

Envy grunts as the figure attacks him with his arm; the fluid in its veins giving off an eerie hue. The arm hits him upon the shoulder, sending him stumbling backwards into the other creature and causing pain to erupt in his chest again. The figure behind him extracts its claws, stabbing them right through Envy's back and out his stomach.

A howl of pain escapes Envy's throat and he swings his leg around fast, pulling himself off of the claws and kicking the creature hard against the face. Its neck making a snapping sound before it falls backwards upon the floor. Enjoying his defeat of the creature, Envy completely forgets about the other one behind him.

Hands clamp down upon his shoulder and he shrieks in pain as the room is lit up by a bright red glow. The pain in his chest becomes crippling and he falls to the floor in tears, gasping for breath.

The creature quickly retreats his hands and turns his attention to the humans behind him; Sciezka crying profusely behind Armstrong and Darby. Armstrong pushes Darby back as the creature attacks him with its claws, its body continuing to glow. Armstrong throws up his fists and blocks the attack, the creature dodging his punches.

Envy lays upon the floor, his vision blurry due to the pain. He blinks a few times, watching Armstrong struggle to keep the creature away. Darby has an arm around Sciezka, tearing up as she stares at the scene before her.

Flinching in pain, he turns to face the dead creature upon the floor. Its body appears limp, but, the red liquid has begun to beat rapidly through the creature's veins causing its fingers to twitch. Angry at his lack of defeat, he tries to get up, but a sharp pain pricks him all over like daggers and he falls back to the ground.

A hiss of pain escapes Armstrong as the creature's claw slices through his hand and retreats out. Blood drips down his arm as he continues holding up his fists, countering the creature's claws.

Watching Envy struggle upon the ground, Darby itches to help him. She grabs Sciezka hard upon the wrist and drags her away from the fight; the mewling girl trying not to walk. Frustrated, Darby yanks her arm, almost causing her to fall and she begins crying harder.

Sighing, Darby bends down and struggles to lift Envy's arm, trying to help him up. Envy hisses in pain and his arm drops to the floor.

"Dammit!" Envy growls, trying to push himself off of the floor, only to collapse again,"Not their enemy my ass!"

A strange raspy breath resounds from the corpse nearby, causing Darby to jump in shock.

"Envy, Get up!" She says quickly, trying to pull on his arm again.

"It's no use, stupid." Envy barks, clenching his teeth in anger,"Whatever the hell they did to me, it's making it really hard to move."

Darby bites her lip in frustration, trying to come up with a plan. His hands in fists, Envy presses hard against the ground and manages to flip himself over onto his back. The nearby creature's limbs begin twitching as the fluid within his veins illuminates the room.

"Envy- what do we do?!" Darby panics, watching the creature thrash upon the floor.

Closing his eyes in frustration, Envy sighs,"I don't know, stupid! I can't move and neither of you can take these things on."

"We're going to die!"Sciezka shrieks, falling to floor upon her knees. Darby rolls her eyes in irritation.

"Hang in there."Armstrong grunts, grabbing a hold of the creature's arm and throwing him against the wall. The creature retracts its arm and shoves it forward, aiming for Armstrong's torso. He dodges the attack and locks the arm between his; pushing the creature backwards.

The creature stumbles backwards, tripping over the motionless Envy. It quickly gathers itself, taking a stand beside Envy with its feet beside his face.

Growling in anger, Envy manages to transform his arm into its usual sharp point and struggles to move it.

Armstrong approaches the creature who holds up its finger and stands there smirking. Throwing a punch, Armstrong aims for the creature; missing as it blurs in and out of visibility. Playing with its current opponent, the creature completely ignores the homunculus upon the floor.

His arm ready to strike, Envy musters up as much adrenaline as he can and stabs his arm through the leg of the creature, slicing is in two. A blood curdling scream echoes through the room as the creature collapses to the floor. The red liquid sprays from his leg like blood, gushing all over Envy. Spitting in disgust, Envy reaches up to wipe the liquid from his face; an evil smirk playing upon his face as he realizes he can somehow move again.

With a cackle, he jumps up onto his feet, standing before the other newly revived creature. Hissing loudly, the creature's claws elongate and he swings his hands at Envy. Hardly moving, Envy dodges his attacks before sending a good hard kick directly into the creatures torso. Its body flies back hard against the wall, busting a hole in it.

"Get ready to leave-" Envy says, cracking his knuckles and standing before the creature,"Once I give you the signal, grab cry baby and head to the car."

Armstrong nods his head in acknowledgement, watching Envy do a roundhouse kick sending the creature through the wall.

"Now!" Envy barks, snatching Darby into his arms and jumping out the window.

Armstrong throws Sciezka over his shoulder and charges out of the room like a rhino; taking notice of the lack of shrieks in the building. As he rushes down the stairs, a creature appears at the bottom, howling in delight.

* * *

><p>"Get in the car, Darby." Envy says, feeling the presence of at least ten or so creatures around them.<p>

Darby nods her head, throwing open the back door of the car and jumping in; slamming and locking it quickly.

"What's taking them so long?!" Envy growls, his hands upon his hips.

"Envy? Where are they?!" comes the muffled cry of Darby from inside the car.

Scanning their surroundings, he clenches his jaw tightly and awaits for them to arrive. Noticing the worry upon Darby's face, he balls his hands into fists and goes running into the bar leaving Darby alone.

* * *

><p>As he makes his way inside the bar, Envy gasps in surprise, taking note of five different creatures approaching Armstrong and Sciezka.<p>

"Dammit!" he growls, charging towards the creature in front of Armstrong,"Why don't you just die already?!"

Approaching the creature, he transforms his arm into its point and aims for its back. Laughing, the creature turns around and swings his claw at him. Envy rebounds backwards, dodging his attack and the grip of another nearby creature.

"Get out of here!" he yells at Armstrong, trying his best to draw the attention of the creatures away from them,"Save yourselves!"

Armstrong grasps Sciezka tightly under his arm and charges over the broken tables and chairs and out the door. Envy smiles in relief, watching them leave, but is quickly angered when two blurs follow after them.

Jumping over the nearest creature, he does a back flip towards the entrance to the bar. Landing on one leg, he crushes the frame of the door with a hard kick; partially collapsing the wall and blocking the creatures for a few moments.

* * *

><p>Outside, Armstrong struggles to fight off two creatures, trying to prevent them from getting to the two girls inside of the car.<p>

Glaring angrily, Envy runs towards the car, kicking one of the creatures out of the way.

"Get in the car, you oaf!" He barks, throwing a punch at the other creature which it dodges.

Armstrong throws open the drivers seat door and struggles to quickly get into the car. He slams the door right as the other creature appears in his previous spot. Smirking, the creature taps its claws upon his window; its arm glowing red.

"How many are there?!" Envy growls, flipping into the air and kicking the creature backwards.

Becoming frustrated, he transforms his arm into a sword and angrily slashes at the creature. The creature counters with its claws, shrieking as he slices though its fingers. Taking no time to stop, Envy runs for the car, noticing the other creature slowly cutting the glass with its claw.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" He barks, bringing his arm directly down upon the creature's arm- severing it from its body. The red liquid oozes out of its arm as it howls out in pain.

"Drive." Envy says fiercely, throwing open the back door and scrambling in quickly.

Armstrong starts up the car, speeding off as two more blurs appear where they just were.

"We need to go find Mustang!" Darby says loudly over Sciezka's whimpers.

"S-so much for relaxation." Sciezka mumbles, causing Envy to glare at her.

"I am so done with you!" He barks, pointing his finger at her,"I almost died saving your ass and _this_ is the thanks I get for it?!"

"I-I.." she stutters, tearing up again.

"You're an idiot?! You're sorry?! Spit it out already, stupid!" he growls, his hands in fists.

"Th-thank you." she says weakly, looking down at her feet.

Envy glares at her,"What did you say?"

"She said thanks, Envy." Darby says, clasping hands with him and smiling,"We're really appreciative of what you did back there."

A slight blush creeps into his cheeks and he looks out the window,"They were going to kill you.."

"Yes, I know." Darby says, nodding,"What you did was not only selfless, but, you just proved yourself as a human."

He shoots her a deadly glare, wiping the smirk off her face.

"Alright, Alright. I meant to say it was definitely a sign of change." she says, laying her head upon her shoulder.

Envy blushes darker, sighing in relief as he continues looking out the window at the scenery rushing by.


End file.
